
Class 
Book. 



J_Li, 



Copyright ]^° 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




^^a^cri,^-,,,^-;, -^.'- l^■'^,- ''.<;",: 



THE LYDIUS HOUSE, 

Reproduced from, a dra^vin^ made by Mr. Anger, 
King's Surveyor, 1732. 



This house stood at the junction of Fort Edward Creek and Hudson River. 



...THE... 

FORTEDWARDBOOK 

CONTAINING SOME 

HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS, 

AND FAMILY RECORDS. 



By ROBERT O BASCOM, 

h 
MEMBER OF NEW YORK STATE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, 
AND OP THE VERMONT HISTORICA.I, SOCIETY. 



PUBLISHED BY 

JAMES D. KEATING, 

Fort Edward, N. Y. 
1903, 



Two CciBicc BfctKiiF^ 
DtASS '^' XXo, No. 







Copyrighted, igoj, by James D. Keating. 



PREFACE. 



No one can know better, no one can more deej)ly regret, than 
the author, the defects and omissions of the present vohime. If 
it has any virtues, they should be ascribed to my esteemed friend, 
Mr. James D. Keating-, the publisher; except for his encourage- 
ment, enterprise aud industry, it had never been printed ; its 
faults, and they are legion, are all my own. Some of them might 
have been avoided, but most of them are due to reasons impera- 
tive in their nature. 

The following pages will be found to contain some historical 
material never before published. For all that is most valuable 
the author is indebted to many kind friends, and this indebted- 
ness the reader will generally find acknowledged throughout the 
subsequent pages, but to dare to hope that I have always ade- 
quately expressed my obligations in this regard, would be perhaps 
to dare too much. 

The subject, "Fort Edward," furnishes a theme sufficientl}^ 
attractive for the pen of a "ready writer." That the town has 
never had a local historian must be a subject of regret. That 
some day there will be written, and published, a history of Fort 
Edward that shall be worthy of the name, is the earnest hope of 
one who now gives to the world some of the huml)le gleanings of 
an unskilled stroller along a classic highway. 

R. O. B. 

Fort Edward, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1903. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGB. 

Introduction . . . . . . . .5 



PART L 

CHAPTER I. 

The "Great Carrying- Place." Early Eng-lish Expedition to 

Canada. 1690, 1691. Primeval Fort Edward . . 11 

CHAPTER II. 

Sir William Johnson's Expedition. The Lydius House . 21 

CHAPTER III. 
The Dellius and Lydius Patents . . . . .31 

CHAPTER IV. 

Lot Owners in the Arg3'le Patent ... 35 

CHAPTER V. 

The Story of the Death of Jane McCrea. The McCrea Family 43 

CHAPTER VI. 
Who Killed Jane McCrea? . . . . . . 61 

CHAPTER VII. 
The Jones Family . . . . . . .74 

CHAPTER VIII. 
The Legend of Duncan Campbell .... 80 

CHAPTER IX. 
Diary of Ensign Hay ward of Woodstock, Conn., kept princi- 
pally at Fort Edward, in 1757 . . . . .89 

CHAPTER X. 
Justice Court in Early Days. List of Jurymen. Some Early 

Marriages ....... 103 

CHAPTER XI. 
Reminiscences by an Old Resident of Fort Edward , . 109 



^ The Fort Edward Book. 

chapter xii. 

Fort Miller. Its Early Settlers. The Duer House. . . 115 

CHAPTER XIII. 

PAGE 

Taxation and Assessments, including' some of the Principal Tax- 
payers in Early Days. Supervisors' Unique Records . 133 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Civil List. Supervisors of Arg-yle 1771, down to 1818, when Fort 

Edward was set off from Argyle. Early Town Meetings 149 

CHAPTER XV. 

Churches — Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, Presbj'terian, Ro- 
man Catholic, Baptist ..... 168 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Masonry in Fort Edward. Washington Lodge. Fort Edward 
Lodge Fort Edward Chapter. Other Fraternal Organ- 
izations. ....... 197 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Fire Department of Fort Edward .... 220 

PART IL 

Famil}' Records ....... 231 



ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS. 

The Lydius House ..... Frontispiece 

Jane McCrea House ...... 53 

Jane McCrea Memorial ...... 68 

Jane McCrea Headstone ...... 73 

Duncan Campbell Headstone ..... 80 

Outline Map of Fort Edward ..... 12 

Outline Map of Argyle Patent . . . . .36 



INTRODUCTION. 



'Tf^HE town of Fort Edward was erected b\^ an act of the 
^^ legislature of the state of New York, April 10, 1818. 
Prior to that time, the territory now comprised within the 
limits of the town of Fort Edward was a part of the town 
of Argyle. 

The Argyle Patent was granted in 1764, and the terri- 
tory was thereby incorporated as a township, to be named 
Argyle. The grant was made to Duncan Reid, gentleman ; 
Peter Middleton, physician; Archibald Campbell, merchant, 
of the City of New York; Alexander McNaughton, farmer, 
of (5range county, and Neil Gillaspie, farmer, of Ulster 
county, as trustees. The land was deeded by the trustees 
to the original grantees, 107 in number. This patent is of 
record at Albany, in Book of Patents, Vol. 4, page 3. The 
Argyle Patent included not only the present town of Argyle, 
the northern part of Fort Edward, a small portion of the 
town of Salem, but also a large part of the present town of 
Greenwich. 

The record of the first town meeting of the town of Ar- 
gyle is dated April 2, 1771, and Duncan CampbeU was the 
first supervisor (A list of the supervisors from 1771 to 1818 
will be found in another place), yet before the Argyle Patent 

was granted Fort Edward was a place of considerable mil- 

1 • 
itary importance; a fort having been constructed at this 

place in 1755, which was called Fort Lyman, but the next 

year the name of the fort was changed to Fort Edward in 

honor of Prince Edward of the royal family of England. 

Prior to the construction of Fort Lyman there was an En- 



6 The Fort Edward Book. 

glish settlement at this place which was established by Col- 
onel John Henry Lydins, as early as 1732. The establish- 
ment of Colonel Lydius was one of some consequence and 
the early records constantly abound with references to 
"Lydius's house," as the place was then called; and as early 
as 1709 the English had built a stockade here which was 
called Fort Nicholson. This was, as far as the writer is in- 
formed, the first English fortification erected at this point, 
yet because of its geographical location, being situated at 
the point where the Indian war parties were accustomed to 
leave the Hudson river and strike across to the head wa- 
ters of Lake Champlain, in ancient times, what is now called 
Fort Edward, was known as the "Great Carrying Place." 
The trail of this "Carrying Place" from Hudson River to 
Lake Champlain did not difier greath^ in its direction from 
the course now pursued b}' the Delaware & Hudson Canal 
Company's railroad between Fort Edward and Whitehall. 

Whether the country- now under consideration, prior to 
the advent of the white man, was ever peopled by a race 
superior in civilization and intelligence to the Iroquois In- 
dians must apparently remain forever a subject of indefinite 
conjecture. All of our knowledge of the ancient Indian 
races that once dwelt here is vague and uncertain. Their 
dwellings are vanished and even their burial places are un- 
known. 

The ploughshare of the husbandman and the spade of 
the laborer not unfrequently, even to this da^^, uncovers 
arrow heads of flint, axes, tomahawks, chisels, o-ousfes, 
pestles for grinding corn, and other implements of the stone 
age; while now and then some objects of adornment, or, 
perhaps, even of worship, rudely shaped, but wrought with 
some skill, are occasionally discovered. 

The location was clearly marked out and described as 
early as 1G90 by General Fitz John Winthrop, who marched 
ihiongh here with an armv of New York and Connecticut 



Introduction. 7 

men on his way to Montreal. In 1745 the settlement of 
Colonel Lydius was destroyed b}^ the French and Indians 
under Marin ; and ten years later, in 1755, in the old French 
and Indian war. General William Johnson was here with a 
large army, and General Phineas Lyman built the fort, 
which was afterwards called Fort Edward. 

Probably the earliest permanent settlement in Fort Ed- 
ward was that of Nathaniel Gage, who settled in that part 
of the town near what is now known as Fort Miller, about 
1762. Patrick Smyth and James, his brother, in 1764, set- 
tled in the present village of Fort Edward, and from the 
timbers of the old fort they erected a house which was 
afterwards successivel}^ occupied by Schuyler and Burgoyne. 
This house is no doubt the oldest one in Washington 
Count3% and is still standing in the lower part of the village, 
and is commonly known as the "Old Fort House," taking 
its name from Colonel Abram Forte, who repaired it. 

During the Revolution, the vicinity of Fort Edward was 
the scene of much military activity, and the tragic storj' of 
the death of Jane McCrea, murdered by the Indians on her 
way to meet her lover in the British army, lends to the lo- 
cality a romantic interest. To preserve, as far as possible, 
the history of these stirring times long since past, and to 
gather together into a convenient form an account of some 
of the principal events that have occurred here, as well as to 
present a picture of the locality as it exists today, are the 
principal objects of this volume. 



PART I 



FORT EDWARD, 



CHAPTER I. 

THE "GREAT CARRYING PLACE." EARLY ENGLISH EXPEDI- 

TION TO CANADA. 1690-1691. PRIMEVAL FORT ED- 
WARD. 

The causes that led to what is known as "King Wil- 
liam's War" it is not our purpose here to discuss. It existed, 
and there was a constant and long continued struggle be- 
tween the French colonies in Canada and the English colon- 
ies in New England and New York for the control of this 
part of our country. In February, 1690, occurred what is 
known in history as the massa?cre at Schenectady by the 
French and Indians who came up Lake Champlain to what 
is now Whitehall, thence up Wood creek to what is now 
Kingsburv, thence down the valley of Fort Edward creek, 
to the Hudson river, and thence to Schenectady. The set- 
tlement there was completely wiped out and such cruelty 
practiced as to awaken the whole province of New York. 
Other French and Indian depredations in New England, part 
of the same campaign against the English settlements, 
awakened all the English colonies to a sense of their danger, 
and led to such concert of action among them that in April 
of that vear the first colonial congress was held in New 
York bv the several English colonies in America. One of the 
results of this congress was, that the several colonies under- 
took to organize an expedition against Canada, both by 
land and sea. The latter part of this scheme we ma\' dis- 
miss wath the single observation that it was a failure. 



12 The Fort Edward Book. 

The expedition b J land is of more interest to us for it came 
here to Fort Edward, and from these early visitors we learn 
something of what our town was then. This expedition 
was under the command of Major General Winthrop, a son 
of Governor Winthrop of Connecticut. General Winthrop 
says he left Hartford (Conn.) Jul}^ 14, 1690, and in seven 
days, by a tedious march through an almost impassable 
wilderness, reached Albany, where he found Captain Joseph 
Fitch and Captain Johnson's companies from Connecticut; 
the design against Canada "poorly contrived and little pros- 
ecuted," and not above 150 men from New^ York, which had 
undertaken to raise 400 men. Rev. Mr. Walker of Wood- 
bury, Conn., who came with Winthrop, "to preach to the 
army," and Mr. Chauncey Chapman, went back on the 
29th of July with letters to the governor of Connecticut re- 
specting "the difficulty of our affairs and increasing of the 
small pox in the army. " July 30th the three comj^anies of 
Connecticut men and a company of their Indians marched 
from Albany. The Dutch companies marched two days 
before. 

General Winthrop says: "August 1st, earl}^ in the morn- 
ing, I followed the army and quartered this night at a place 
called the Still Water, soe named for that the water passeth 
soe slowly as not to be discerned, yet at a little distance 
both above and below is disturbed and rageth as in a great 
sea, occationed by great rocks and great falls therein." 
August 2d, he reached a place called "Saraghtoga, " where 
there was a block house. There he overtook Mr. Wessells, 
Recorder, of Albany, with some Albau}^ volunteers, and here 
he received a letter from Peter Schuyler, the maj^or of 
Albanv, then up in the country- (the vicinit}^ of Whitehall), 
that "cannoers were making for the army. " Thus far the 
way had been very good, "onely foure great wading rivers, 
one of them dangerous both for horse and man. " 

He sent Captain Nichols to Albany with "some horse," 



Early English Expedition. 13 

to hasten up the "provition." August 3d, they remained at 
Saratoga. August 4th, he marched to Little Carrying 
Place (now Fort Miller), "where the water passeth soe vio- 
lently, by reason of the great falls and rocks, that canoers 
cannot pass, soe were forced to carry their canooes and pro- 
vition on their backs a pretty way to a passable part of the 
river; our course N. by E." "August 5th, the English sol- 
diers marched with their provition on horses to the Great 
Carrving Place (now Fort Edward), where we overtook the 
Dutch compan\^es, carrying their canooes over the Great 
Carrying Place on their backs, about twelve English miles ; 
very bad and difficult passing. This hardship the Burgers 
and Dutch souldiers performed vigoroush^ and without an}^ 
repining, wch made me think nothing would be difficult for 
them to performe. Our way this day, a continual swamp, 
abounding with exceeding tall, white pine, fit to mast any 
ship. Noe grass for our horses this day ; our course has been 
north." "August 6th, we marched over tl^e Carrying Place, 
twelve English myles, and encamped at a branch of the 
Woodcreke called the Falk (Fork), that leads into the lake, 
and is accounted part of the lake water, and it constantly 
payeth its tribute. In this creek canooers pass into the lake 
called Coders ( Corlears ) — (Champlain). Our way, a contin- 
ual swamp of stately white pines. From this place horses 
can pass noe further. Our course this day, east, north east." 
The next day Governor Winthrop sent thirty horses, under 
the command of Ensign Tomlinson, back to Saratoga for 
provisions. He left the main body at the Fork, under Cap- 
tain Nichols, and taking Captain Fitch and Captain Prentis, 
with some "musketiers in birch conooes managed by some of 
the Burgers, and the New England Indians martching by the 
river side, commanded by Captain Stanton, to the Wood 
Creke or Houtkill," where he met the mayor of Albany. 
The next day he had a council of war with the Indians. The 
day after (August 9) Captain Johnson, who some days 



14- The Fort Edward Book. 

before had been sent to Albany for a further supply of pro- 
visions, returned with word that no provisions could be ob- 
tained, and he further brought word that certain Indians 
who were to join his forces further north could not do so 
because of the small pox breaking out in' their midst. On 
the 10th of August General Winthrop got word that the sol- 
diers he had left at the Fork were taken sick daily. August 
11, he asked the mayor of Albany to go about six miles 
further down the river with some Burgers and Indians, and 
"to tr}^ if more canooes can be made." He heard that Lieu- 
tenant Hubbell was sick at the Fork with small pox and 
others likely to be, and some were sick from other causes ; 
accordingly he sent the Dutch doctor to see them. By the 
13th he found that the bark would not peel and no 
more canoes could be made, and he had not half enough for 
the "Christians." On the 15th he decided to abandon the 
expedition as originally designed, and to send John Schuyler 
with forty "Christians" and one hundred Indians to try and 
surprise some of the Canadian settlements. Accordingly, 
they marched back to the Fork, and, taking the best care 
they could of Lieutenant Hubbell, they marched to the head 
of Wood creek and in the evening Lieutenant Hubbell died. 
"August 16, this morning we buried Lieutenant Hubbell 
with all the respect wee could. After this seremony we 
martched over the Great Carving Place, twelve myles, with 
one of our souldiers sick withe small pox, upon a little frame 
carved b}^ four souldiers at a tyme." 

It would appear from this account that General Win- 
throp, when he left the Hudson at Fort Edward, followed 
substantially the course of Fort Edward creek. The ground 
was swamp_y. Had he taken a course up the Fort Edward 
hill through Sand}' Hill he would have, to some degree, 
avoided the swamps, but his course lay along the valley of 
the Fort Edward creek until he came to the Fork, a "branch 
of Wood Creek," now called the Half Way creek, which 



The First Buriai.. 15 

empties into Wood creek near the site of tlie present village 
of Fort Ann. Here was his camp and here Lieutenant Hnb- 
bell was taken sick, and at the head of Wood creek (prob- 
abh' when the\^ left Wood creek, struck off for Fort Ed- 
ward)- they buried him, "and no man knoweth his sepul- 
chre," even unto this day. This was the first recorded bur- 
ial in the country. "A very good and expert officer" and he 
was an ancestral relative of the Hubbells who yet reside 
in our town. But little remains to be said of the expedition 
We have alread}' seen that in its main purpose it failed. 
Captain John Schuyler returned from his trip on Septem- 
ber 2, having killed twelve men and taken fifteen men and 
four women prisoners, and a few days later General Win- 
throp returned to Flartford, Conn. There was no settle- 
ment then at the Great Carrying Place. It was simply a 
spot on the globe, with no other name or designation. The 
sturdy white pines which covered the swamps 

"As the winds against a storm}' ^ky 
Their giant branches tossed," 

sang a mournful melodv above Lieutenant Hubbell's lonelv 
grave. A few dead trees denuded of their bark marked the 
place where the mayor of Albanj^ had attempted to build 
canoes, and now and then the mouldy remnant of some cast 
off camp equipage, a few half covered spots with traces of 
ashes and charcoal marking the place of soldiers' camp fires. 
These were all the traces that the white man left here then ; 
but if the English were not successful they were stubborn 
and not easily discouraged, for the next year there was 
another expedition marching up through here on their way 
to Canada. 

Major Peter Schuyler's Expedition, 1691. 

It was in June, 1691, that Major Peter Schuyler, mavor 
of Albany, a Dutchman, came up this way with some sol- 



16 The Fort Edward Book. 

diers and Indians. They were on their way to Canada to 
harass the settlement of the French there. Major Schuyler 
came here from Albany. His journal, from the time he left 
Albany for a few daj^s, with its odd spelling and misspellino-, 
may interest some. It runs as follows: "June the 21st, 
1691 , we sett out from Albany with our Christians for Can- 
ida; travelled about twenty-four miles until we came to the 
still water in the evening. We met about sixty of the River 
Indians. 24th, we marched to Saraghtoga, sixteen miles 
distance, and encamped about 2 of the clock afternoone. 

"25th. We continued at Saraghtoga: foul weather, 
where we were joyned by 12 Mowhawkes commanded by 
one Schagavanhoenden. 

"26th. We marched from thence to the first and second 
carr\nng place tenne miles distance where we met two River 
Indians come from hunting with two bears and one deer. 

"27th. We remained at the second carrying place where 
we killed to young bears and one deer. 

"28th. We all marched over to the last carrying place, 
being 12 miles b\^ land and tenn miles by water, in good 
health and order, accompanied onU' with 12 of the Schach- 
ticooke Indians the rest having taryed at the last carrying 
place to attend their sachems, being sick. The Mohawks 
also tar\'ed with them." 

So it appears that at that time the hunting was good 
here, and bears and deer were plentiful in the great pine 
forest. The Mohawk Indians had their camp here while 
their chiefs were sick ; perhaps they had too much English 
firewater. Just where that camp was we can only con- 
jecture now ; probably it was not far from where Fort Ed- 
ward creek empties into the river. The Indians liked to be 
near their canoes and near the water; besides there was, 
and is today, a little high ground there, a convenient place 
for a camp. The deer would come there to eat the hlly pads 
in the creek, and, no doubt, they went hunting for the bears 



Major Schuyler's Journal. 17 

in the great pine forest that then clothed the hills towards 
Sandy Hill. The Colonel does not tell us very much more about 
Fort Edward, but a few more facts from his diary may serve, 
not only to complete the story of his expedition, but will also 
help us form our judgment as to these early pioneers, and to 
understand the conditions under which they lived and labored . 
To resume the narrative: "June 30th we begun to 
make canoes; felled several trees that could not be peeled ; in 
the evening came up to us tenn of these Indians we left at 
the second carying place and told us the Mohawks we had 
left there were gone a hunting to the eastward and promised 
to meet us again at the falls, at the end of Wood Creek." 
They, no doubt, struck off from Fort Edward through Ar- 
gyle, Hebron and Granville, following the Granville river 
down to Wood creek. On July 1st they made eight canoes, 
"some of seven, eight, ten and twelve men" (I suppose these 
figures refer to the capacity of the canoes). He "sent Lieut. 
Abraham Schuyler and Gerryt Lucas to towne (Albany) to 
see where the Maquase stayed. Three of the Maquase that 
had parted from us came up in the alternoon and said 
that they lay about two EngHsh miles to the eastward of us. 
I sent out two Indians to spy as farr as the Wood Creeke, 
that returned and saw nothing." He continued to send out 
"spvs," sometimes they were Indians and sometimes "Chris- 
tians," and all the time kept building canoes. This work 
seems to have delayed them because the bark would not peel 
and in consequence some days they only made one. On July 
5th some of the River Indians saw a French Mohawk and 
shot at him three or four times, apparently without result. 
Some of the Indians went home, some ran away, and on the 
9th of July enough canoes were made for the "Christians." He 
received some "bisketts" and "pease" from Albany, and on 
the 15th of July he received a thousand pounds of bread from 
Albany. By thel7th he had reached Ticonderoga, where he 
stopped to make more canoes, some having been broken on the 



18 The Fort Edward Book. 

wa}'. He was at Crown Point on the 22d, and had with 
him there twenty-two Mohawks and sixty-six River In- 
dians. He says "wee then held a counsil of warr, how to 
discover Fort Laprarie and to take a prisoner, if possible, 
and concluded to send out nine men." The next day these 
men "spyed fyeres" on the eastern shore ol' Lake Champlain 
— so many that it seemed as if there might be quite an army. 
He then sent out nine scouts, and if there was an enemy at 
hand he was resolved "by the Grace of God to withstand 
them," but nothinor appeared that night ; in the meantime 
he built a small stone fort, breast high, evidently not 
intending to trust all the ibrtunes of war to the grace of 
Providence. They were getting up into French domain by 
this time (23d) and their spys now and then had an en- 
counter with the French scouts. On the 30th they left 
their canoes and wounded in charge of a detachment, and 
that night they encamped within ten miles of "Leprarie." 
The Journal continues: "Aug. 1st, we resolved to fall 
upon the fort. By break of day went to prayers and march- 
ed." They came to a wind mill near Fort Leprarie when 
they saw a fire. "The fire was stired three times to cause a 
flame, which we conceived to be their sign to the Fort." 
This proved to be the case and the French received them 
warmly. A sharp fight ensued and after various skirmishes, 
Schuyler says "we engaged them in the plain ground and 
fought them fairly until we drove them into their fort in 
great disorder and took three French prisoners." The 
French greatU^ exceeded in numbers the forces that Schuyler 
had. They attempted to cut oft" the retreat of the English 
to their boats and with such a degree of success that the 
English had to fight again, "a pretty close, until we made 
them give away, then drove them by strength of arm 400 
paces before us and to say the truth we were all glad to see 
them retreat." In the melee the three French prisoners 
attempted to escape and were "knocked on the head by our 



Primeval Fort Edward. 19 

Indians." Scliu\'ler made his escape successfull\' and on 
Auw. 2nd says "we took our march homewards and found 
five elks in the way, which refreshed our whole company." 
On the 9th he arrived at Albany with all his wounded. His 
forces as stated by him consisted of, "Christians 120, Mo- 
hawks 80, R. Indians 66." A total of 266 men. He lost in 
the expedition 21. "Christians 16, Mohawks 6, River In- 
dians and the wounded in all 25." This arithmetic is a little 
obscure but it is the best we have. A kind of postscript 
adds that "6 Christians and Indians thought to be killed 
are returned" and they all thought they had killed 200 
French and Indians. 

Thus ends the story of the second expedition which 
passed through here, and from these two journals we draw 
a picture of our town as it was in 1690 and 1691. It was 
covered with great white pine trees, a dense swanp in the 
low lands. On the uplands grew some hard wood trees 
perhaps, and along the water courses gigantic elms, and on 
the hill side great white birches, all the haunt of deer and 
bear. Wolves prowled in the thicket and panthers, for a 
hundred years then following, crouched in the tangled deeps 
of the primeval forest. Indians, hardly less wild than the 
numerous quadrupeds, made it their hunting ground. At 
night, from the top of some monarch of the forest, the 
"moping owl did to the moon complain." An eagle nested 
in the tree tops, perchance, where now the "busy tide of 
trade and traffic presses." The Hudson rushed and roared 
over rocks and falls, unfettered in its way to the sea; Fort 
Edward creek, now almost vanished, was nearly as large 
then as the Hudson now is in summer time. 

All east of Broadwa}^ was a vast swamp and in high 
water the creek, overflowing its banks, washed across into 
the river where now^ is DeForest's store. Up higher a trout 
brook came down off the sand hill, through the ravine near 
Rev. Cicero Barber's house and ran into the river. Above 



20 The Fort Edward Book. 

the Institute was a reedy marsh, the home of wild ducks. 
The river, on the village side, cut more into the eastern 
bank, and where the paper mills now are (on the south), 
where Judge Wait's house and the Presbyterian church now 
stand, wnth a oood share of the west side of Broadwav, was 
all river then. The hill from the old canal feeder to the resi- 
dence of Fred McNaughton was steeper and more abrupt. 
Now and then an Indian hunting or war party came 
through here on their way to Lake Champlain. They were 
armed with bows and arrows, clubs and spears with points 
of stone. It was the wild home of wild beasts and wilder 
men. 

"Unbroken over inarsb and hill 

The rounding shadow la}', 
Save where the river cut at will 
A passage to the day." 




CHAPTER II. 
SIR WILLIAM Johnson's expedition, lydius house. 

While in the north the zealous and adventurous follow- 
ers of the Lily of France were, with bold hands, advancing 
the standard of their faith and the banner of their king 
southward by every practicable avenue; the adherents of 
St. George's cross, with equal faith, even if with less skilful 
hands, pressed northward, along the same avenues, seeking 
to enlarge the realm where their faith should reign and 
where their king should rule. Of all that great and eventful 
campaign, only that portion of it can be noticed which was 
enacted in the immediate vicinity of Fort Edward. 

August 15, 1755, General William Johnson, writing to 
Lieutenant Governor Delancy, dates his letter at the "Great 
Carrying Place" and says, "I arrived here yesterday. This 
morninor j called a council of war." Continuing, he says, 
"the troops are not all here yet," but he expects 2,850 men 
fit to march against Crown Point. The French were in 
possession there. This army was encamped above and be- 
low the Fort Edward Creek, and part of it on the Island. 
Col. Cockroft, with his regiment, had not arrived. He was 
escorting the bateaux up the river. General Johnson sent 
thirty wagons from the Carrying Place to Stillwater to 
lighten the bateaux because the water was so shallow^ there. 
There was a herd of cattle and a drove of sheep belonging to 
the army, to furnish fresh meat. 

For a moment let us look at the council of war: 
There were present. Major General Johnson, Major Gen- 
eral Lyman, Colonels Ruggles, Titcomb and Goodrich, 
Lieutenant Colonels Gilbert, Bagly, Pomero}^ Pitkin, Whit, 
ney and Cole, and Captain Peter Wraxall, secretary to 



22 The Fort Edward Book. 

General Johnson. General Johnson presided and informed 
the council that the lieutenant governor of New York 
had written him that New York would send 400 rein- 
forcements. General Lyman had a letter from Governor 
Fitch, of Connecticut, desiring to know if the council 
thought he should send reinforcements. "Hereupon Gen- 
eral Johnson put the question: whither the above reinforce- 
ments should be sent to join the armv v/ith all possible dis- 
patch and are needful for the good of the present service. 
Agreed in the affirmative. Nem. Con." 

They also voted to send to Massachusetts, Rhode Island 
and New Hampshire for additional troops. While waiting 
for reinforcements to arrive the troops were not idle. 
They were building a road to Lake George, so the army 
could march and so the bateaux could be drawn over- 
land from the river to Lake George, upon wdiich to trans- 
port the army through the lake. Three hundred men 
were constantly at work building Fort Lyman under the 
direction of Captain Eyre. In ten days' time the road 
was in such condition that General Johnson planned to 
march 1,500 men to Lake George, the heavy artillery and 
baggage to follow as soon as they could. During 
these ten days the Lidians began to arrive in small 
squads. On August 24 there were sixty of them, but 
that day and the next 200 more were to arrive, and 
in all 400 Indians were expected. September 3, General 
Johnson was at Lake George; he had 250 Indians then. 
There was some trouble between General Johnson and Gov- 
ernor Shirly, of Massachusetts, about the management of 
the Indians, and Governor Shirly employed "one Lydius" to 
go among the red men, to General Johnson's great disgust — 
the very man the Indians had complained about. General 
Johnson began to erect a fort at Lake George. There was 
none there before, not a rod of ground cleared. Before 
this time Lake George had been called Lake St. Sacrament. 



Sending Out Scouts. 23 

General Johnson changed the name to Lake George in honor 
of the King of England. September 3, the bateaux 
had not yet arrived from Fort Lyman. It is not diffi- 
cult to imagine that it was slow work transporting these 
bateaux overland to Lake George, and there were 600 of 
them in all. General Johnson now had 3,100 men, and was 
expecting more from New England. Sunday evening, Sep- 
tember 7, some Indian scouts came to General Johnson and 
informed him that a considerable body of the enemy had 
marched from South Bay on Lake Champlain towards Fort 
Lyman. There was onK^ 250 of the New Hampshire troops 
there under Colonel Blanchard, with five New York" com- 
panies. A wagoner, named Adams, volunteered to ride to 
Fort Lyman with the news, and to carry General Johnson's 
orders to Colonel Blanchard to retire into the fort. About 
one hour afterwards two Indians and two soldiers set out 
on the same errand. By midnight the Indians and soldiers 
returned and said they saw the French about four miles 
from Fort Ljmian. They were then in Kingsbury. This 
body of French and Indians were under the command of 
Baron Dieskeau. The scouts said they heard the report of 
a gun and heard a man cry out; they thought it was Adams. 
The next morning Gen. Johnson sent 1,000 men with 200 
Indians towards Fort Lyman to intercept the French, either 
as victors or vanquished. These men were under the com- 
mand of Col. Williams, and they left Lake George between 
8 and 9 o'clock on the morning of September 8th. The night 
of the 7th Dieskeau had encamped three miles from Fort 
Lyman. The next morning he wanted to attack the fort. 
The Indians did not want to ; they did not like to attack a 
fort where there was cannon. Accordingly he was com- 
pelled to change his plans and march against the English at 
Lake George, where they understood there were no fortifica- 
tions. About 10 o'clock that forenoon Dieskeau, having got 
word from his scouts of the movements of Col. Williams, 



24 The Fort Edward Book. 

laid plans to ambush the English; his plans were successful. 
This engagement occurred near the spot where the Williams 
monument now stands on the road from Glens Falls to Lake 
George. Near this place Col. Williams fell. The firing was 
heard at Lake George, and" directly the Indians and men 
began to return from the field of action to the camp. A 
bloody and fierce engagement ensued, and only its re- 
sult can be stated. The French were repulsed; Dieskeau was 
wounded and taken prisoner. Gen. Johnson was wounded 
also, after which Gen. Lyman commanded. About 8 o'clock 
on the evening of the 8th, 120 men from New Hampshire 
and 90 men from New York set out from Fort Lyman to re- 
inforce Gen. Johnson. This party was under command of 
Capt. McGinnis. They fell in with a party of between 300 
and 400 of the French and Indians, who were scalping the 
men killed in the engagement with Col. Williams in the 
morning. A severe engagement ensued, the French being 
finally driven from the field. Dieskeau told Gen. Johnson 
that he had on the morning of the 8th, 200 grenadiers, 800 
Canadians and 700 Indians. His aid de camp said they had 
about 2,000 men. Some of the prisoners said thc}^ had 
2,300 men. The English estimated the loss of the French at 
between 500 and 600 men. Thc}^ took 30 prisoners and 70 
scalps, and on the 9th, when Gen. Johnson wrote his report, 
there was a large number of French and Indians unscalped. 
The English loss was about ISOmen killed and 60 wounded; 
missing several. Of the officers they lost Col. Williams, Col. 
Titcomb, Maj. Ashley, Capts. Ingersoll, Porter and Farrell, 
a brother-in-law of Gen. Johnson, Stoddard, McGinnis, 
Stevens, the last four being Indian officers. Hendrick, the 
crreat Mohawk chief, was killed in the same engagement in 
which Col. Williams fell. The English Indians said they lost 
about fortv men killed. The English and French reports of 
the engagement differ greatly, but the grand results cannot 
be obscured. The English triumphed, and the star of French 



Notes on The Expedition. 25 

dominion in the New World was fast hastening to its set- 
ting.^ 

Notes From Various Sources. 

Dieskeau wrote Commissar}^ Doreil August 16th, 1755, 
from Montreal, "I start in a moment for Fort Frederick 
(Crown Point) to place myself at the head of a body of 
about 3,000 men to meet an English force of 4,500 men, 
whose design is to seize Forts Frederick, St. John, Chambly, 
and afterwards advance as far as Alontreal. I shall try, 
however, to mar this plan." ^ 

The Chevalier de Montreuil writing to Count d'Argenson 
under the same date, says that 3,000 English are coming to 
besiege Fort St. Frederick. That Vaudreuil in consequence 
sends thither 1,800 men and 400 Indians. Dieskeau puts 
himself at their head. His intention is to attack the Eng- 
lish near Lake St. Sacrament. "I am going to join him * 
^ * I am much attached to him. He appears tome to be 
a very good general and aver\^ excellent soldier." 

Dieskeau on the 14th of September, 1755, after he was 
taken prisoner and while in the English camp at Lake 
George, wrote to Count d'Argenson, saying the Indians had 
been treacherous to the French, and that on the 27th of 
August, a Canadian scout informed him that there were 
3,000 English at Lydius House (Fort Edward) where they 
were constructing a fort that was pretty well advanced ; 
that he immediately resolved to advance, and upon doing so 
an Indian, who had been scouting, brought in an English 
prisoner who said that the body of the English army had 
moved from Lj'dius and that there was only 500 men left 
there to finish the fort; that 2,400 men were expected, who 
were to march to Lake St. Sacrament and build a fort there. 
On hearing this Dieskeau determined to take a picked force 



1 Doc. Hist. Vol. 2, 678 to 695, 

2 COl. Hist. Vol, 10. 



26 The Fort Edward Book. 

and by rapid marches surprise Fort Lydius and capture the 
500 men encamped there without its walls. He says, "My 
force consisted of 600 Indians, 600 Canadians, and 200 Reg- 
ulars." It will be noticed that in this account he places the 
number of his men at something less than in his account to 
General Johnson. Dieskeau says, "The Iroquois refused 
point blank to attack the fort," but discovering that he 
was determined to do so, they apparenth' acquiesced and at 
once set out taking the lead. His plan was to reach the fort 
by nightfall and at once attack it. The Indians misled him, 
so that by nightfall, he was a league from the fort. "A Cour- 
ier" (Adams) was then killed, whose dispatches were brought 
to me, and some prisoners that were brought in gave intel- 
ligence that about 3,000 English were encamped near 
there." The question as to which fort they should attack 
was left to the Iroquois and they decided to make the at- 
tack at Lake St. Sacrament. The next day after a march of 
about 15 miles, about 10 o'clock on the morning of the 8th 
of September, a scout informed him that a large body of 
men were marching from the Lake to the Fort (This was 
Colonel William's force). He at once ordered the Indians to 
throw themselves into the woods "to allow the enemy to 
pass, so as to attack them in the rear, whilst the grenadiers 
took them in the flank, and I should wait for them in front 
with the i-egular troops." He complained of the treachery of 
the Indians ; that thev did not join in the attack; that he, 
with the regulars, pursued the English into camp and at- 
tacked them there; that the regulars were killed, almost to 
a man, and he was knocked down bv three shots, while a 
fourth passing through both hips perforated the bladder. 
He says he received everv attention from General Johnson 
to be expected "from a brave man full of honor ai'id feeling." 
M. de Yaudreuil in a letter to M. de Machoult, written 
on the 25th of September, 1755, says, that the garrison at 
Fort Frederick consisted of 3,573 men. That Dieskeau "had 



Notes on the Expedition. 27 

information on the l.st of September from scouting parties, 
that they had seen the English encamped in three divisions 
in front of L^^dius; that the fort which was erecting there 
was in an advanced state: that the English were busy cut- 
ting a road to Lake St. Sacrament Carrying Place, and 
another to that which leads to the Grand Marais.'' The 
Great Marsh, or "The Drowned Lands." near Whitehall. 
Continuing, this narrative says that on the 6th scouts were 
sent towards Fort Lydius and Lake St. Sacrament. On the 
7th, two o'clock in the afternoon, the scouts sent towards 
Lydius returned and reported that there were about 50 tents 
outside the fort. By sunset he had reached the Hudson 
river about three miles from the fort. The next morning a 
courier was killed and from the dispatches found on him it 
appeared that General Johnson was warning the command- 
ant to be on his guard, that the French would attack him 
during the night. Just then 12 baggage wagons passed on 
the way to the Lake, and two of the teamsters were taken 
prisoners, who said there were 4,000 English and 400 In- 
dians at the Lake. Dieskeau said the more there was "the 
more of them would he kill," then having dispatched them 
he would go and take the fort. On the 8th, by break of day, 
Dieskeau set out for the Lake. Flis troops marched in five 
columns. He, with regulars on the road, and on either hand 
a column of grenadiers and Indians, the columns 30 paces 
apart, the grenadiers and Indians in the woods. Want of 
space compels the omission of the French account of the at- 
tack upon Colonel William's troops and the fight at Lake 
George. It is outside the hmitations set for this work. 
Dieskeau, wounded, refused to leave the field and com- 
manded his Aid to leave him. On the retreat, the narrative 
continues, the Canadians and Indians "having followed the 
high road fell into an ambush laid by the English, who had 
come from Fort Lydius. Many were killed. Baron de Lon- 
gueuil, who led the Indians, was wounded and was seen no 



28 



The Fort Edward Book. 



more. Towards evening a second ambuscade depleted the 
French ranks. On the 9th they reached their canoes (on 
Wood Creek). On the 10th they reached Grand Mar ais.'' 
"My grief," saysVaudreuil, "at the result of this campaign, 
is inexpressible." He says further, that the English loss was 
500 men, besides 120 Indians, among whom was "White 
Head, a great Mohawk Chief" (Hendrick). The Indians 
rifled him and found on his person a commission from the 
KingofEngland appointing him "General Sachem." The In- 
dians also brought in 20 commissions taken from the dead. 
The French lost 100 killed, 130 wounded. 



A Description of Fort Lydius in 1755. 

An account of the works at Fort Lydius, abstracted 
from the accounts of the evidence of two prisoners taken 
from the English by the French and examined before M. de 
Vaudreuil and annexed to his report September 25th, 1755 : 
"What they are building at Lidius are called storehouses; 
an entrepot and not a fort. This depot is in this form : 



"This house has an enclosure. formed by a ditch 14 feet 
wide and eight deep. The earth from the ditch is thrown up 
towards the Fort and on the embankment pickets 12 feet 
high are set up, inclining outwards, that is to say, fraised. 
The ditch does not continue on the river. There are onl\' 
pickets on that side. * * * there are two gates on the 
river side, and one small one at the north * * * the 
house is at the extremity of the inclosure in the angle formed 
by the river and another small stream (Fort Edward Creek). 



Fort Lydius. 29 

It is constructed of square timber, one piece on the other. * 
* * Eight cannon are in the field at the Fort, within 
seven or eight paces of the inclosure, but one is mounted at 
the little gate leading towards the north, in which vicinity 
they are excavating a passage which will open in the rear 
* * * Within the inclosure are 24 or 25 mortars, placed in 
regular order mounted on carriages. The shot and shell are 
between the house and the pickets on the river side. The 
powder is on the opposite side in a store. The 500 men at 
the Fort are all outside; within there is only one sentinel, in 
a sentry box, opposite the little gate. There is plenty of bis- 
cuits, pork and rum, but only a few beeves. There are no 
Dutch among the troops. There are 20 wagoners and 200 
two horse teams, and some often for the transportation of 
the artillery, which was brought by land." 

The prisoner who gave some of the account of the forti- 
fication of Fort Lydius was taken by some Abenakis Indians, 
about the 29th or 30th of August, a short league from the 
Fort. In this account Lydius House and Fort Lydius are 
the terms constantly employed in speaking of Fort Edward. 
He says, there are between 500 and 600 men at the Fort 
for the purpose of guarding and finishing it. 250 of them are 
workmen. 'Tis an intrenchment flanked a redan about 600 
feet long and 800 feet wide, with 10 or 12 redans in its con- 
tour, of different dimensions, from 80 to 150 feet from point 
to point. The rampart, 17 feet high, on the ditch side follow- 
ing the natural slope of the ground, and from 10 to 12 feet 
thick on top. The foot of the rampart fraised by pickets ten 
feet above the ground, so inclined as to form an angle of 
about 60 degrees with the bottom of the ditch. The ditch, 10 
to 12 feet wide at the bottom. The counterscarp eight feet 
high. The rampart and ditch are only on the land and creek 
side. On the river side there are only pickets 15 feet high, 
and not yet completed though the army has been at work 
on them for more than a month. The garrison of from 500 



30 The Fort Edward Book. 

to 600 men is still encamped outside. They were not to en- 
ter until the work was done. There was then finished a 
storehouse, guard house, powder magazine, hospital and 
wash house. Several huts were to be built. The cannon 
were not in battery, except to defend the gate; the others 
were outside the gate. They had eight brass pieces, eight 
and ten pounders; 25 thirtj^-two and forties of iron were ex- 
pected. There were about 20 mortars and a great many 
shells from 6 to 12 inches in diameter. Beeves are rarely 
killed, but when they slaughter, the soldiers as well as the 
officers get a share. There are 400 batteaux along the river, 
of a capacity of from four to 20 raen.^ 



1 Col. Hist. N. Y., Vol. 10, 333. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE DELLIUS AND LYDIUS PATENTS. 

The Dellius Patent was the earHest grant of lands that 
included what is now Fort Edward. It was so called from 
the name of the orantee, Rev. Godefridus Dellius, the "Dutch 
Minister"! at Albany. 

It would appear from the records of an extraordinary 
court held at Albany, August 6, 1683, that the Rev. Godefridus 
Dellius arrived in that city on August 2nd, of that year, pur- 
suant to the request of that court to the Venerable Classis of 
Amsterdam. 2 It seems that he was an assistant to one 
Dom. Schaets, of Albany, and that according to the terms of 
his contract, dated the 20th of July, 1682, he came for the 
term of four years; beginning "as soon as the ship on which 
he would leave Amsterdam had gone to sea, outside Texel." 
His salary was to be 800 guilders a year, payable in beaver 
skins at 8 guilders each, or 600 skepels of wheat, at his op- 
tion, besides a free house. Now Dellius having his full share 
of the spirit ot thrift, so abundant in those days, in conse- 
quence of having missed the first ship on which he should 
have sailed, stipulated that his term should commence on 
the day when he intended to sail, August 15, 1682, and end 
onthatday, 1686, while the agents of the wealthy commis- 
saries of Albany, with like thrift, stipulated that his salary 
should not commence until he actually did sail with Skipper 
Jan Gorter. It was further agreed that if the dominie should 
marry he was to receive 100 guilders in beavers more, and if 
Dom. Schaets should die, then Dellius was to have the same 
salary he had, and the reverend gentleman experiencing 

1 Macauley, Vol. 2, Py. 411. 

2 Doc. Hist., Vol. 3, Pff. 887. 



32 The Fort Edward Book. 

some uneasiness about beaver skins forhispaj', which he was 
not overly acquainted with — on the 13th of August, 1683, it 
was determined that he should enjoy yearh^ the sum of 600 
guilders, Holland currency, paj^able in pieces of eight at 48 
stivers each, or in merchantable beavers, counted at two 
pieces of eight each, payable quarterly, on condition that 
if Dom. Schaets should grow feeble or die, Dellius was to per- 
form the whole duty, and if the magistrates should agree 
with the people at Schenectady then he was to take his turn 
with Dom. Schaets, once a month or so, and "edify said con- 
gregation" there without additional charge. The worthy 
commissaries also sent a message of thanks to their agents 
in Holland "for the trouble they have taken in finding out 
the Rev. pious and learned Dom. Godefridus Dellius, who ar- 
rived here on the second instant, to the great joy of every 
one, and whose preaching was heard with the greatest sat- 
isfaction and contentment." In 1685 the Dom. Dellius said 
he had a call to go home, and he resigned his pastorate. The 
court did not like this action and refused to give him a 
demit, "it being contrarv to the will and inclination of the 
congregation," so he concluded to remain a while longer. 
This brief account of Dellius is given to afford some insight 
into the character of the man. On September 3, 1696,^ he 
obtained from Governor Benjamin Fletcher a patent to all 
that tract of land commencing at the northern boundar\^ 
of Saratoga and extending northerlv to Rock Rossian 
(called by the French Rochi Fender), now known as Split 
Rock, in the present town of Essex. It lay on the ea.st side 
of the Hudson, is said to have been seventv miles long and 
twelve miles wide;^ if so it contained 537,600 acres of land. 
The Earl of Bellomont at one time understood this grant to 
contain about 900,000 acres upon a report that it was 86 
miles long and 16 miles broad. This, however, was a guess, 

1 Holden, Py. 449. 
2lMacaulejs Vol. 2, Pjjt. 411. 



The Dellius and Lydius Patents 33 

and the Earl says, ^some Dutch who have traveled that way 
assure him that they judge it to be 25 miles wide, and if so, it 
would contaiii 1,376,000 acres; it extended on both sides of 
Lake Champlain, "a prodigious tract of countrv to grant 
away to a stranger that has not a child, that's not deni- 
zened, and in word a man that has not any sort of virtue or 
merit" says Bellomont. Therent reserved was 100 raccoon 
skins per annum. This grant was, in consequence of the ef- 
forts of Bellomont, cancelled by the assembly in 1699.2 Smith, 
in his History of New York, says it was fraudulently ob- 
■ tained and a careful reading of the depositions of the Indians 
who were examined in relation to it, will lead the candid 
reader to concur in this judgment. Dellius spoke the Huron 
language and had considerable address, but appears not to 
have been as discreet in his intercourse with the Indians and 
others as so "pious and learned" a man should be. He was 
deposed by the Reformed Dutch church of Albanv, May 
12, 1699,^ for irregular practices in obtaining land grants. 
y^ In 1700 there was not a Christian resident on this grant. ^ 
The territory embraced in this grant included almost all of 
what is now Washington, Warren and Essex counties. Af- 
ter the cancellation of the patent, Dellius still continued to 
claim to be the owner. He returned to Holland, and many 
books say that he transferred his rights to the Rev. John 
Lydius, who was the minister of the Dutch church at Albany 
from July 20, 1700, until his death, March, 1709. ^ His son, 
Colonel John Henry Lydius, is said to have continued his 
father's labors among the Mohawk Indians and to have ob- 
tained from them, on February 1, 1732, deeds of two tracts 
of land lying on Otter Creek (in Vt.,) and Wood Creek (in 
Washington county), described as follows: "Beginning at 



1 Documents, Vol. 4, Pg-. 826. 

2 Macauley, Vol. 2, Pg-. 411. 

3 Munsill's Annals of Albany, Vol. 1, Pg-s. 82, 89, 95. 

4 Documents, Vol. 4, Pg. 883. 

5 Munsill's Annals, Vol. 1, Pg. 95. 



34 The Fort Edward Book. 

the mouth of Otter Creek, where it empties into Lake Cham- 
plain, and runs easterly six Dutch miles (six Dutch miles was 
equal to four English miles), then runs southerly to the up- 
permost falls on Otter Creek (Rutland), being about fifteen 
Dutch miles, be the same more or less, then westerly six Dutch 
miles and thence northerly to the place of beginning. The 
other on Wood Creek, beginning two and a half Dutch miles 
due north of the place called Kingscjuaghtsnock (the portage 
between Wood Creek and F'ort Edward Creek, near Moss 
Street, in Kingsbury )i to the lalls on Wood Creek, and 
thence runs westerl\^ to the falls on Hudson river, going to 
Lake St. Sacrament; thence down said river four Dutch 
miles; thence southerl}^ five Dutch miles, and thence north- 
erlv to the place of beginning." (The curious are recom- 
mended to attempt to lay out these lands on maps of the 
present day). Lydius claimed that his Lidian title was 
confirmed by Governor Shirly of Massachusetts; if this was 
true, the evidence of it seems to have been lost, but cer- 
tain it is that his claims extended to immense tracts of 
land in this locality and his establishment here was, no 
doubt, the first settlement within the bounds of what is 
now the tov^^n of Fort Edward. Some of the early set- 
tlers here bought lands of Lydius and afterwards had to 
buy over again. 

In old deeds Lower Broadway was called L^^dius street, 
and the Durkees among our earlier settlers bought lands of 
Lj'dius, and the given name Lydius, still extant in our 
town, is a memento of Col. John Henry Lydius. 



1 Evans' Analysis, Pg. 19. 



CHAPTER IV. 

LOT OWNERS IN THE ARGYLE PATENT. 

The following list of names of the original farm lot own- 
ers of the Argyle Patent is principally made from the orig- 
inal parchment map of the patent, now in possession of Mr. 
Donald Reid, of Argyle. This map is indorsed as follows: 
"Diagram of Argyle Township, granted to 107 persons; 
Emigrants from Scotland, with Captain Laughlin Campbell, 
in the years 1738-1739 and 1740, and surveyed in the year 
1762 by Messrs. Arch. Campbell and Christopher Yates." The 
patent contained 142 farm lots, of which one of 500 acres 
was set apart for the "Minister and Schoolmaster" (The 
Glebe), the remainder are numbered from one to 141. 
There were also 142 "town lots" corresponding in number 
with the "farm lots." The town lots were one tenth the size 
of the farm lots, i. e., if the farm lot contained 250 acres the 
corresponding town lot contained twenty-five acres; sev- 
enty-one town lots were laid out on either side of the 
"Street." This street ran from east to w^est, through the 
center of the town. It was twenty-four rods wide, and it 
was designed that the settlers should build their residences 
on the street while their farming domains were to lie in the 
rear. This scheme, it is needless to say, was never carried 
out in all its original glory, although a trace of it is yet to 
be found in the east and west road in the town of Argvle, 
which is still called the "Street." That the original scheme 
was not developed as contemplated, was due probably to 
certain natural obstacles in the way of hills approaching to 
the magnitude of mountains, and some of the town lots\vere, 
doubtless, uninhabitable. The farm lots were not regularly 
numbered throughout the town. Seventy-three farm lots 



36 The Fort Edward Book, 

were situate on the south side of the "Street." Of the farm 
lots, the ten following were afterwards set off in the town of 
Fort Edward, when it was organized, viz: 128, 129, 134, 
135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141. These lots extend from 
the Hudson river to the eastern boundary of the town, and 
include all the northern part of the town of Fort Edward, ex- 
tending as far south as the southern boundary line of farm 
lot 141, which line is said to be situate between the present 
(1902) residence of Ur. G. R. Ball and that of Hon. Edgar Hull, 
on Broadway, in the village of Fort Edw^ard. Northward is 
lot 141, extending to about the present residence of A. C. 
Hodgman. North of this lie lots 140-139 and 138, which 
last reaches to the Kingsbury line; these four lots compre- 
hending 1,350 acres, border on the Hudson river and have 
their greatest extent from east to west. The remaining six 
lots have their greatest extent from north to south. Three 
of these six farm lots border on Kingsbury and are num- 
bered, beginning at the east, 128, 134, 137; lot No. 128 
bordering on both Argyle and Kingsbury. South of this 
tier are three other lots numbered 129, 136, 135; lot 129 
bordering on Argyle; these six lots comprehended 1,800 
acres. Lots 14 L, 136, 135 and a part of 129 are bounded on 
the south by the Bayard Patent; lot 129 being bounded on 
the south byBa3^ard's and Schuyler's Patent. In examining 
the map it must be borne in mind that the figures indicating 
the number of acres in each farm lot include not only the 
farm lot but also the area of the corresponding street lot as 
well, i. e. : Farm lot 141, ot David Torry, is marked as con- 
taining 300 acres, but they were in two parcels, one of 270 
acres in the farm, and one of 30 acres on the "Street ;" hence, 
it will be seen that the ten farm lots in the town of Fort Ed- 
ward, while nominally containing 3,150 acres really con- 
tained but 2,835 acres, the remaining 315 acres being on the 
"Street." But few of the "Street" lots were claimed or occupied 
by the original grantees, and in time they were squatted 




OUTLINE MAP OF ARGYLE PATENT, with names of the Lot 
Owners, now first pnblished from the orig-intil survey, made in 1764 
by Archibald Caniv>bell and Christopher Yates. 



The Argyle Patent. 37 

upon and conveyed by means of quit-claim deeds, and even 
to this day, in the conversance of lands on what is still called 
the "Street lots," it is customary to except them from the 
covenants of warranty. The ten lots in the present town of 
Fort Edward and originally part of Argyle were: 

No. of Lot. Name of Owner. No. of Acres. 

128 Duncan Shaw 300 

129 Alexander McDougall 350 

134 John McArthur 300 

135 John Mclntyre 350 

136 Catherine Mclltender 250 

137 Mary Hammel 250 

138 Duncan Gilchrist 500 

139 John Mclntyre 350 

140 Mary McLeod 250 

141 David Torry 300 

The farm lots were deeded to the owners by the five 
trustees of the Argyle Patent. These trustees were Duncan 
Reid, of the City of New York, gentleman; Peter Middleton, 
of the City of New York, physician; Archibald Campbell, 
City of New York, merchant; Alexander McNaughton, 
farmer; Neil Gillaspie, farmer. The original deeds are on 
parchment, and few, if any of them, were ever recorded in the 
clerk's office. 

Names of grantees on the south side of the "Street" : 

No. of Lot. Name of Owner. No. of Acres. 

1 Catherine Campbell 250 

2 Elizabeth Cargill 250 

3 Allan McDonald 300 

4 Neil Gihaspie 450 

5 Mary Campbell 350 

6 Duncan McKernan 350 

7 Ann McArthur 250 



38 The Fort Edward Book. 

No. of Lot. Name of Owner. No. of Acres. 

8 *Mary McGowne :^00 

9 Catherine McLean 

10 Mary Anderson, Jun 300 

11 Archibald Mcllfender 300 

12 Dougall McAlpin 300 

13 Daniel Lindsay 250 

14 Elizabeth Campbell 300 

15 Ann Duffee (McDuffeej 350 

16 Donald McDoigall 400 

17 Archibald McGowne .300 

18 Lienor Thompson 300 

19 Duncan McDuftee 

20 Duncan Reid 600 

21 John McDuffee 250 

22 Dougall McCaller 550 

23 Daniel Johnston 350 

24 Archibald Campbell 250 

25 William Hunter 300 

26 Duncan Campbell, 3rd 300 

27 ^Elizabeth Eraser 200 

28 *Alexander Campbell 350 

Minister and Schoolmaster 500 

29^ Daniel Clark 350 

30^ Angus McDougall 300 

31p- Donald McLitvre 350 

32^ Alexander McNachton 600 

33^ John McCore 300 

34o- WilHam Eraser 350 

35o- Mary Campbell 250 

36^ Duncan Campbell. Sen 450 

37^'- Niel McPhaden 300 

38o- Mary Torry 250 

* Not on the orig-inal map. 
"• Lots now in Greenwich. 



The Argyle Patent. 39 

No. of Lot. Name of Owner. No. of Acres. 

39g Maroaret McAllister 250 

40^ Robert Campbell, Jr 450 

41^ Catherine Shaw 250 

42^ John McGuire 400 

43^ Elizabeth Campbell (McNiel) 300 

44^ Duncan McArthur 450 

45 John Torrey 300 

46 *Malcom Campbell 300 

47 Florena McKenzie 200 

48 *John McKenzie 300 

49 *Jane Cargill 250 

50o- John McGownan, Sr 300 

51^ Charles McArthur 350 

52^ Duncan McPhaden 300 

53^ Roger Read 300 

54^ JohnMcCarter 300 

55^ Ann Campbell 300 

56o- Archibald McCoUum 350 

57g Alexander McArthur 250 

5«^ Alexander McDonald 250 

■ 59^ John McEuen 500 

6i)g *John McDonald 300 

61 James McDonald 400 

62^ Mary Beton ( Belton) Baine 300 

63^ Margaret Cargyle 

64^ Niel McEachern 450 

65^ Hugh Montgomery 300 

66^ Isabella Livingston 250 

67s Catherine xMcCarter 250 

68s Margaret Gilchrist 250 

69^ Hannah McEuen 400 



Not on the original map. 
Lots now in Greenwich. 
Lots now in Salem. 



40 The Fort Edward Book. 

No. of Lot. Name of Owner. No. of Acres. 

70g John Read 450 

71g Archibald Niven 350 

72 Rachel Niven (Nevin) 300 

Following" are the names ot the grantees on the north 
side of the "Street:" 

73 James Cargyle 300 

74 John Cargyle 300 

75 Duncan McDougall 500 

76 Alexander Christie 350 

77 Alexander Montgomery 600 

78 Marian Campbell 250 

79 *John Gilchrist 300 

80 Angus McDougall 300 

81 Duncan McGuire 500 

82 Edward McCaller 500 

83 Alexander Gilchrist 300 

84 Archibald McCollum '..350 

85 Archibald McCore 300 

86 John McCarter 350 

87 Neal Shaw 600 

88 Duncan Campbell 300 

89 Roger McNiel 300 

90 Elizabeth Roy 200 

91 James Nutt 200 

92 Dougall (Donald) McDuffee 350 

93 George Campbell 300 

94 Jane Widrow 300 

95 John McDougall 400 

96 Anna McCart (Archibald McCartee) 300 

97 Charles McAllister 300 

98 William Graham 300 

99 Hugh McDougall 300 



ff Lots now in Greenwich. 
* Not on the orig-inal map. 



The Argyle Patent. 4-1 

No. of Lot. Name of Owner. No. of Acres, 

100 James Campbell 300 

101 George M cKen zie 400 

102 John McCarter 400 

103 Margaret McNiel 200 

104 Malcom McDuffie 550 

105 Florence McVarick 300 

106 Archibald McEuen 200 

107 Niel McDonald 500 

108 James Gillis 500 

109 Archibald McDougall 450 

110 Marian McEuen 300 

111 Patrick McArthur 350 

112 John McGowne 250 

113 John Shaw, Sen 300 

114 Angus Graham 300 

115 Edward McCoy 300 

116 Duncan Campbell, Jun 300 

117 Jennet Ferguson 250 

118 Hugh McEloray 200 

119 Dougall Thompson 400 

120 Mary Graham .300 

121 Robert McAlpine 300 

122 Duncan Taylor 600 

123 Elizabeth Calwell 250 

124 William Clark 350 

125 Barbara McAllister 300 

126 Mary Anderson, Sen 300 

127 Donald McMullen 450 

128f Duncan Shaw 300 

129f Alexander McDougall 350 

130 John Shaw, Jun 300 

131 *Duncan Lindsay 300 



f Lots now in Fort Edward. 
* Not on the orig-inal map. 



42 The Fokt Edward Book. 

No. of Lot. Name of Owner. No. of Aces. 

132 Daniel Shaw.. 350 

133 John Campbell 300 

134/" John McArthur 350 

135f John Mclntyre 350 

136f Catherine Mcllfender 250 

137r Mary Hammel 250 

ISSf Duncan Gilchrist 500 

139/ John Mclntyre 300 

140/ Mary McLeod 250 

141f David Torrv 300 



/. Lots now in Fort Edward. 

Note. Thirty-four of the farm lots or jiarts of the farm lots of the Argryle Patent 
were set off to the town of Greenwich when that town was organized in 1803; the numbers 
of the lots, which either entirely or in part were thus set off were numbered 29-44 inclusive, 
50 to 50 inclusive, 62 to 71 inclusive. E.xcepting- b7 and 68 in the town of Salem, 



CHAPTER V. 

THE STORY OF THE DEATH OF JANE MC CREA. — THE 
MC CREA FAMILY. 

The locality where Jane McCrea was killed may well 
command a moment's consideration. 

5 The present village of Fort Edward, comprehending 
about three thousand souls, is situate on the east bank of 
the Hudson river, at the junction of the Glens Falls branch 
of the Delaware & fludson Canal Company's railroad with 
the main line. To-day the waters of the Hudson are here 
harnessed to the powerful machinery used in the manufac- 
ture of newspaper in the gigantic mills of the International 
Paper Company, and the manufacture of pulp and paper con- 
stitute the principal industry of the village. To-day the vil- 
lage supports one National Bank, and five churches exist 
here. It has two public school buildings and is the seat of 
the well known Fort Edward Collegiate Institute. 

The principal thoroughfare is called Broadway, a con- 
tinuation of the road commonly called the "River Road," 
which extends from Fort Miller, about eight miles south of 
Fort Edward, to Sandy Hill, about two miles north of Fort 
Edward. This street is of some importance in connection 
with our narrative, and that beautiful village, long known 
by the unpoetic name of "Sandy Hill," and celebrated in lo- 
cal annals as the place of "no stated preaching," is also 
closely connected with some of the incidents of this narra- 
tive. 

The principal part of the village of Fort Edward is situ- 
ate at the foot of a steep hill, called "the Fort Edward 
Hill," on top of which, to the north, are the "Plains," 



44 The Fort Edward Book. 

and beyond the "Plains," and northerly on the same level is 
the aforesaid village of Sand}' Hill, at which place to-day va- 
rious paper products are manufactured under the control of 
one of those modern contrivances known as the "Bag Trust;" 
and it also boasts of other gigantic paper mills, which, no 
doubt, belong to other trusts. 

A trolley road now connects the villages of Fort Ed- 
ward, Sandy Hill and Glens Falls, and indeed the trolley ex- 
tends on northward to Warrensburgh, and southerly to 
Troy and Alban^^ This trolley line, as it passes through 
Broadway in Fort Edward, passes directly by the spot 
where the house of Mrs. McNeil once stood, from whence 
poor Jennie McCrea went to her death. And it also 
passes the ancient and traditional "Jane iMcCrea house ;" 
the spot where she was killed; the place where her bod\' w^as 
found; the Jane McCrea spring; the monument erected by 
the Daughters of the American Revolution to mark the lo- 
cality of her death ; the place where she was first buried ; the 
place of her second burial, and the cemetery where her re- 
mains now repose, let us trust, in peace. 

The old fort in our village stood at the junction of Fort 
Edward Creek with the Hudson river. Unfortunately the 
State has neglected to provide for the care or protection of 
the ruins, and the patriotism of private citizens has not been 
sufficient to protect it from the hand of the despoiler. In 
times of high water some portions of the old fort ground are 
nearlv or quite inaccessible, except by the aid of a boat, al- 
though formerly there was a picturesque bridge from that 
part of the village known as "Hoboken" to the old fort 
grounds. 

Some three miles south of Fort Edward stands what 
was once called the "Black House," a famous hostlery in 
days of yore, and this locality was, in ancient times, known 
as "Fort Edward Center." Not far from the Black house 
Jane McCrea was first buried ; afterwards her remains w^ere 



Killing of Jane McCrea. 45 

removed to the old cemetery on the east side of what 
used to be called "Old Canal Street," in the village of Fort 
Edward, which street now boasts of the more pretentious 
name of "State street." In this old cemetery, now largely 
given over to sumac and alder bushes, and overgrown with 
briars and rank weeds, where laughing school boys on sum- 
mer afternoons play hide-and-seek, there once reposed the re- 
mams of Duncan Campbell oflnverawe, alongside those of 
many a Revolutionary and Continental soldier, as indeed 
thereto-day sleeps Mathias Ogden, magistrate, lawyer and 
first postmaster of P^ort Edward, with Mary, his wife, and 
other forefathers and mothers of the hamlet. 

In 1852 the remains of Jane McCrea were exhumed and 
reburied in the Union cemetery on top of Fort Edward hill, 
and at this time it is said that some of her bones were stolen 
and kept as "souvenirs." In the Union cemeterv the 
thoughtful, loving care of a relative erected a suitable stone 
above the grave of Jane McCrea to mark the spot and 
"make it holy ground," but vandals, kin to the Goths that 
robbed the grave, have chipped and hacked and mutilated 
the stone that they might carry off in triumph a piece of 
senseless marble that stood on the ground that covered the 
remaining unfilched bones that were once a part of Jane 
McCrea. 

In recent years the bounty and patriotism of public spir- 
ited citizens, together with the contributions from the school 
children in Fort Edward and Sandy Hill, have erected a high 
and substantial iron fence about the grave to protect the 
stone from further desecration by modern Goths and 
vandals. 

On top of Fort Edward hill is what is called the Jane Mc- 
Crea spring, and on the west side of Broadway near the 
spring, stands the monument erected by the Jane McCrea 
Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and 
though the celebrated Jane McCrea tree stood near this 



46 The Fort Edward Book. 

spring and near the monument, it is altogether probable 
that Jane McCrea was killed upon the east side of Broad- 
way and a little distance to the south of the monument. 

In the village of Fort Edward, a little way north of 
where the steam railroad crosses Broadway, stands the 
house of Albert Y. Pratt, Esq., on the west side of the street. 
On this lot, no doubt, once stood the real house of Mrs. Mc- 
Neil from which Jane McCrea started on her illstarred jour- 
ney. It was a log house, and the last lingering traces of it 
long since disappeared. 

I am not unaware that tradition has ascribed the loca- 
tion of this house of Mrs. McNeil to another spot, namely: 
that occupied bv the unique residence of the late Dr. Robert 
Addison Linendoll ; a little way north of the residence of Mr. 
Pratt, and on the same side of the street. This house has 
the fame and reputation for being the "Jane McCrea house," 
and as such its picture has been taken and sold far and wide. 
And indeed there are those that relate traditions and tell 
tales that puzzle the judgment and make us doubt but that 
this last mentioned spot is, in truth, the genuine and Simon 
pure locality; but the late Judge Hay, who in his da}^ and 
generation spent much time and care to preserve the history 
of the past, was very sure that the residence now oc- 
cupied by Dr. Geo. R. Ball, was built by Major Peter Bailey 
Tearse; and this location of the McNeil house upon the lot 
now occupied by Mr. Pratt, accorded with the under- 
standing of the late Edwin Crane, an old and respected citi- 
zen of this place, who, while not himself personally ac- 
quainted with the facts, yet derived his information from 
those who did remember and had personal knowledge of the 
situation. Edwin Crane was a man of great carefulness 
and scrupulous exactness, and many times I have talked 
the matter over with him and he has pointed out the spot 
to me where the McNeil house stood, as upon the lands 
now occupied by Mr, Pratt. 



Killing of Jane McCrea. 47 

It may not be without interest here to note that a few 
years since, when the Linendoll house was repaired, that 
quite a number of bullets of considerable apparent antiquity 
rattled out from under the eaves when the old boards were 
removed, and up to a few years ago there stood in front of 
this house, now occupied- by Dr. and Mrs. Ball, a gigantic 
elm, which Miss C. S. Scovel of Watervliet, told me was 
set out by Polly Hunter and Major Tearse, after their mar- 
riage, when they came here to live. This was a family 
tradition. 

In the days of the Revolution the street leadmg from 
the old fort, toward Sandy Hill, did not follow^ the course of 
the present Broadway; it was farther to the east and 
crossed East street in the vicinity of where the Catholic 
church now stands, and united with what is now^ called 
Burgoyne avenue, on top of the hill. The face of the countrv 
was somewhat different then from what it is now; marshes 
have been filled up, and the hills have been cut down; and 
what is now called the "Fort Edward Hill" was, in ancient 
days, two hills. On top of the first hill and at the foot of the 
second one, as the traveler goes north, above what is now 
called the "Feeder," was an earthwork, and on top of the 
second hill, on the property where Alfred Case now^ resides, 
stood a block house, and in the southern part of the village 
below the fort, was another block house; across the river on 
the Moreau side was yet another. The exact location of 
these block houses is perhaps to-day unknown, but thev cer- 
tainly once existed. There w^as a foot path from the fort in 
nearly a direct line to the earthworks on top of the first hill ; 
this foot path ran along the high ground near the bank of 
the Hudson river. Betw^een the foot path and the main 
road was a marsh, and the foot path joined the main road 
b\^ a causeway' not far from the house where Mrs. McNeil 
lived. The house of Peter Freel, which was called "The Old 
Baldwin House," stood not far from the present location of 



48 The Fort Edward Book. 

the "Mansion House," better known as the "WilHman 
House." This house, it is said, stood close under the walls 
of the old fort. The Jones family lived on the Moreau side of 
the river, at or near what is now generally known as "The 
Rogers Place." 

Other members of this family lived in Kingsbury, and 
within what may reasonabh^ be called modern times, de- 
scendants of the Jones famih^ made an unsuccessful effort to 
recover some part of their ancestral estate, which was con- 
fiscated toward the close of the Revolution by the United 
States Government. Farther down the river on the Sara- 
toga side, and nearly opposite the mouth of the "Moses- 
kill," was the residence of Colonel John McCrea, some three 
miles distant from Fort Edward. 

Jane McCrea at the time of her death was, her tomb- 
stone says, seventeen years of age. Wilson, in his life of Jane 
McCrea says she was born about 1757, and Nielson says 
she was twenty-three years old at the time of her death. 
While these discrepancies exist as to her age, all accounts 
aoree that she was more than ordinarilv attractive. She 
lived with her brother, Colonel John McCrea, at his resi- 
dence above mentioned, and some accounts say that she 
was related to Mrs. McNeil. If this be true, the relation- 
ship is unknown to the writer. She seems to have been well 
acquainted with Mrs. McNeil and to have freely visited at 
her house in Fort Edward.. Jane was large of stature and 
her hair is described as having been of uncommon length and 
great beautv. Polly Hunter, the granddaughter of Mrs. 
McNeil, was the companion and associate of Jane McCrea. 
Jane's mother died while Jane was an infant, and after the 
death of her father, Jane came to live with her brother, Col- 
onel John McCrea. General Gates in his letter to General 
Burgovne says, that "she was a young lady, lovely to the 
sight, of virtuous character and amiable disposition." Loss- 
ing describes her as graceful in manners and so intelligent in 



Killing of Jane McCrea 49 

features that she was the favorite of all who knew her. The 
sexagenary says he was accustomed to see her often, and 
we may therefore, legitimately infer that she was well 
known in the locality where she lived, and was generally 
admired and beloved by those who knew her. 

Mrs. McNeil was a widow, and in fact she was twice 
that; her maiden name was Sarah Fraser. She was born in 
1722, in Invernesshire, Scotland, and was the daughter of 
Alexander Fraser, of Balenabe. She married, at the age of 
seventeen, her first husband, Archibald Campbell. Archi- 
bald Campbell and Sarah, his wife, had one daughter, Cath- 
erine Campbell, who married Robert Hunter; the\^ had one 
daughter, Mary, better known as Polly Hunter. Robert 
Hunter died in New York, and Mrs. Sarah Fraser Campbell 
came to this country from Scotland and brought her grand- 
daughter, Polly Hunter, with her. Mrs. Campbell married 
second, James McNeil, who died in New York, and I 
am informed, never came to Fort Edward. Mrs. McNeil 
either bought or inherited lands in the vicinity of Fort Ed- 
ward, and came here to reside before the Revolution, and 
tradition says, that she was cousin to General Fraser, and 
very likely this was true. 

Polly Hunter came to Fort Edward with her grand- 
mother, Mrs. McNeil, and was the associate and companion 
of Jane McCrea, and it is said that she had been to Argyle 
on horseback the day before the tragedy and did not re- 
turn until after the attack on Mrs. McNeil's house. While 
living at Fort Edward she formed the acquaintance of Ma- 
jor Peter Bailey Tearse, a young surveyor, then in this 
part of the country, and to whom she was afterwards mar- 
ried. Many descendants of this marriage are still to be 
found in this part of the State. 

David Jones lived with his mother on the Moreau side 
of the river as above mentioned. He was loyal to the gov- 
ernment of England at the time when many of his neigh- 



50 The Fort Isdward Book. 

bors were patriotic rebels, but he does not seem to have 
been actively identified v^ith the royal cause until the near 
approach of Burgoyne's army. Tradition's legend, tune and 
song, surmise, and inference, all unite to say he was the 
betrothed lover of Jane McCrea. Sure it seems that in and 
out and through the web and woof of their two lives, there 
ran the silken thread that, since the flight of time began, has 
been the token of afiianced hearts. This is the way the rec- 
ord has been made up, and though perhaps the critic may 
say the story lacks the proof, yet it is still the way that 
human minds will understand the circumstances, and human 
hearts explain them. David Jones became an officer, a lieu- 
tenant, in the "Royal New Yorkers," attached to Burgoyne's 
army of invasion, and all accounts agree in ascribing to him 
high and manly qualities; and the tragic death of Jane Mc- 
Crea came like a funeral knell to all his hopes and all his 
aspirations. 

Peter Freel was one ofthose men whose names are some- 
times and somehow written on the pages of history and 
then thev disappear, and no man knoweth whence he came 
or where he went. He is said to have lived in the "Old Bald- 
win House" above mentioned, and one account says that Jane 
McCrea, the night before her death, remained at his house. 
There was also one Alexander Freel, perhaps a son, perhaps 
a brother of Peter, who figures in a kind of mysterious man- 
ner in this tragedv. He is said to have been the bearer of a 
message from David Jones to Jane McCrea, but this seems 
doubtful ; and beyond a few distant and mysterious men- 
tions of these men, who they were and the parts they played 
in the tragedy, is all unknown. 

Samuel Standish was a soldier at Fort Edward in the 
Continental army at the time Jane McCrea was killed. He 
said that he saw the capture and was present at the death. 
He was on picket duty that morning on top of the hill. 
Standish was wounded in the engagement and taken pris- 



Killing of Jane McCrea. SI 

oner. He recovered from his injury, was exchanged and af- 
terwards Hved in Granville, Washington county, N. Y. He 
was a lineal descendant of the redoubtable Miles Standish, 
the Puritan captain, and descendants of his are yet living in 
the west. 
4 Lieutenant Van Vechten was in command of a squad of 
about a dozen of the Patriot array and doing picket duty at 
the block house on top of Fort Edward hill on the day that 
Jane McCrea was killed. In the engagement that morning 
he and five of his men were killed and scalped by the In- 
dians; four others were wounded. The next da}^ his bodv 
was found not far from that of Jane McCrea. About 1885 
some workmen on top of the Fort Edward hill uncovered a 
human skeleton in the sandbank in the locality where this 
skirmish occurred. The skeleton was that of a full grown 
man, and its condition indicated extreme antiquity. 

LeLoup was the name of the Indian who tomahawked 
and scalped Jane McCrea. There has been considerable re- 
search expended to locate the particular tribe to which he 
belonged, but without any very satisfactory result. The 
name signifies "the Wolf," and it seems to have been ap- 
propriate enough. For all the common affairs of life doubt- 
less, it is enough to say he was simply an Indian, engaged in 
Indian warfare. 

Duluth, was the name of the Indian in command of the 
party, if there was such a party, that David Jones sent to 
escort Jane McCrea from the house of Mrs. McNeil to the 
British camp. Wilson says that there was a tradition that 
he had white blood in his veins, and from all accounts it is 
fair to say that he struggled hard to escort Jane in safety to 
the British camp. 

It is not the purpose of this work to enter upon any his- 
tory of Burgoyne's campaign, but a few words seem neces- 
sary in order to explain the situation at the time of Jane's 
death. Lieutenant General John Burgoyne at the head of the 



52 The Fort Edward Book. 

English army of invasion had come down from Canada in- 
tent upon reaching Albany. The army had advanced as far 
as Moss Street, in the town of Kingsbury. The British camp 
was at the "Jones farm," on the "Pitch Pine Plains," about 
■two miles above Sandy Hill. The patriot army, after the 
disaster at Ticonderoga, assembled at Fort Edward. Gen- 
eral Philip Schu3der was in command. Schuyler was shortly 
after this superseded by General Gates. The patriotic in- 
habitants of the surrounding country flocked to Fort Ed- 
ward and to Albany for safety, and to lend a hand in the 
approaching struggle. The Tories generally joined the 
army of Burgoyne, or remaining at their homes, relied upon 
the promises of Burgoyne that they should not be molested. 
As the British army advanced the Americans prepared to re- 
treat down the river toward Stillwater. The inhabitants 
of the country for the most part abandoned their homes and 
buried their propertv in holes dug in the ground in order to 
preserve it alike from friend and foe. There is one of these 
excavations yet to be seen on the road from Fort Edward 
to what used to be called "Moreau Pond." 

The progress of the British army toward the south was 
slow ; the road was rough and, in places, almost impass- 
able. The day before the McCrea tragedy the Allen family 
in Argyle were all killed by a band ot Burgoyne's Indians, an 
incident which has been vividly described by the late Arthur 
Reed in his "Reminiscences of the Revolution." 

After the Allen tragedy in Argyle, there was a camp of 
Royalists upon the large dome shaped island in Cossayuna 
lake. The country was filled with scouting parties, and 
with bands of Indians who did not very nicel}^ distinguish 
between friends or foes. Old Fort Edward was at this time 
dilapidated and did not afford sufficient protection to war- 
rant the Americans in making a stand at this place. It does 
not seem certain that at this time there were more 
than three dwellings in the present village of Fort Ed- 




■:q 



Killing of Jane McCrea. 53 

ward. The McNeil house, the Freel house, and the Old Fort 
House ; and then there were the three block houses above 
tnentioned, and on the road toward Sandy Hill there were 
at least two dwellings, viz : that of Albert Baker and Wil- 
liam Griffin. 

We have now seen the situation of the countrv, the posi- 
tion of the res|)ective armies, and the several persons most 
prominently identified with the storv of the death of Jane 
McCrea, and it only remains to relate the events of the trag- 
edy' as history has recorded them, and as tradition has 
handed them down to us. In undertaking the relation of 
this tale, the author is not unaware that it has many difiler- 
ent versions, each of which has its zealous adhe- 
rents, and in the discussion that has ensued as to the man- 
ner of her death, peojile have sometimes lost their temper, 
and sometimes fancy, imagination and conjecture have sup- 
planted the apparent facts of history, but the tale as here 
told is substantially the one which seems to be best authen- 
ticated by the earliest writers and historians, and it has all 
the force, if force it may be called, of local tradition, fane 
McCrea was killed by the Indians. Such is the faith of 
people. 

On the 26th of July, 1776, Jane McCrea was at the 
Baldwin house, and on the morning of the 27th of fuly she 
proceeded to the residence of Mrs. McNeil. On top of the 
b^'ort Edward hill, at the block house in the woods. Lieuten- 
ant Van Vechten, with about a dozen men, became engaged 
with a band of Indians about 9 o'clock in the morning. 
Samuel Standish, one of the pickets, saw the Indians ap- 
proaching and fired, and then fled down the road toward 
the fort at the foot of the hill; he was intercepted bv three 
Indians, was wounded, taken prisoner, and removed 
by them to the top of the hill. Another band of Indians 
rushed toward the house of Mrs. McNeil. Thev captured 
her and Jane McCrea and started back up the road toward 



54 The Fort Edward Book. 

the north. They either caught or had with them two horses, 
and on these horses they attempted to place their prison- 
ers. Jane McCrea was easily seated, but Mrs. McNeil was 
old and corpulent, and after one or two unsuccessful efforts 
to place her on the back of the horse, the Indians gave up 
the attempt. The horse, with Jane, was led up the road 
toward the top of the hill by the Indians ; others remained 
behind urging Mrs. McNeil along; in this manner the two 
women were separated. In a few moments Jane McCrea 
reached the spot where Standish was. A group of Indians 
surrounded her, and an altercation ensued between them. 
After a few moments discussion one of the Indians, said to be 
LeLoup, leveled his gun at the young lady and shot her in 
the breast. As she fell the savage seized her by the hair of 
the head and, with a yell, tore off her scalp. The savages, in 
the delirium of rage that followed, stripped her body of its 
clothing, and, with their accustomed brutality, inflicted upon 
her lifeless form numerous wounds with the tomahawk and 
scalping knife; one of these crushed in the skull of the unfor- 
tunate girl. The Indians, after having despoiled and muti- 
lated her body, hurried toward the camp, taking Standish 
with them. This account of the tragedy is substantially 
that told by Standish himself in his life time to Jared Sparks, 
the celebrated historian. Mrs. McNeil was hurried forward 
on foot to Eraser's camp, and when she arrived there she 
too had been stripped of her clothing, and upon inquiring 
for General Eraser she was shown into his presence and 
roundly denounced him for permitting his "rascally Indians" 
to thus misuse her. The General attempted to supply the 
deficiencies of her wardrobe from that of some of the ladies 
attached to his camp, but she was so large that no gar- 
ments suitable for her could be found, and she was finally 
clothed in General Eraser's own great coat, until 
clothing for her could be made. Soon after, among the 
trophies displayed by the Indians, she saw and recog- 



Killing of Jane McCrea. 55 

nized the scalp of Jane McCrea. No attempt to pursue the 
Indians or to recover the body of Jane McCrea was made 
until the next day, when her body, with that of Lieutenant 
Van Vechten, was found in a small ravine near b}' the McCrea 
spring, slightly concealed by the brush, and the bodies were 
removed and buried near the "Black House." 

Stone, in his "Life of Brant," and in his more recent His- 
tory of Washington County, has given another and differ- 
ent version of this story, but the account in the History of 
Washington County contains so many statements that are 
palpabh^ wrong, that I am constrained to believe that this 
eminent and scholarly historian has, unintentionalK% in this 
particular, fallen into error. 

Gates, in his letter to Burgoyne, charged that the girl had 
been murdered by Indians in the employ of the British, and 
Burgoyne, in his reply, said, "I obliged the Indians to deliver 
the murderer into my hands." Burgoyne certainly would 
not have admitted that the Indians attached to his armv 
were responsible for her death unless the proof was over- 
whelming to that effect. That she was killed and .scalped by 
the Indians is not only the declaration of both Gates and 
Burgoyne, but it accords with the statement of Standish 
and of Albert Baker, a reputable citizen of Sandy Hill, who 
also had some personal knowledge of the transaction, and 
this story accounts for the gun shot wound in the breast 
and for the condition of the skull when the poor girl's re- 
mains vv'ere exhumed, and such is the local tradition, even 
unto this day, in the locality where the catastrophe oc- 
curred. It is substantially the way Bancroft understood 
it, and the other versions that have sprung up since the 
time of the tragedy, are capable of being explained in an en- 
tirely satisfactory manner without impairing the truthful- 
ness of the foregoing narrative. 

Few events in the Revolution attracted greater atten- 
tion than the death of Jane McCrea, and few^ since that 



56 The Fort Edward Book. 

time have been the occasion of more general notice. A tree 
which is said to have stood near the spot where her bod}^ 
was found was, many years since, cut down and manufac- 
tured into canes and snuff boxes, and it is no uncommon 
thino- among the old families hereabout to-day, to find in 
their possession a Jane McCrea cane. The tree was a large 
pine, and it obtained a place in history by grace of Lossing's 
"Field Book of the Revolution," which contained a picture 
of it. The celebrated spring, known as the "Jane McCrea 
Spring," is still visited by multitudes of people, yearly. 

The McCrea Family. 

The father of Jane McCrea was the Rev. James McCrea, ^ 
a Pi-esbyterian clergyman at Lamington, N. J., where he was 
ordained August 4th, 1741. He was twice married. His 
first wife was Mary Graham^ of Lamington. The name of 
his second wife is unknown. He left seven children by the 
first wife and five by the second, they were: 

I. John, who graduated at Princeton, 1762, studied law 



1 Rt'v. James McCrea was the son of William McCrea, who was born about 1688, in 
Scotland. He immigrated to Delaware and was an elder in the White Clay Creek 
Church, near Newark. He had at least two sons, one of whom became a law3er, and one a 
minister, the Rev. James, who was born in 1710; he died May 10, 17o9, ajifed 59 j'ears. 
Rev. James McCrea studied at the Log- Colleg-e, Neshaminej', Pa., and was licensed by 
the New Brunswick Presbytery, November 7th, 1739, without a certificate from the synod, 
the Log- Colleg-e and Tennants holding- a certificate to be unnecessary. This heresj' 
caused the seism in the synod of 1741. He was called to the large circuit of Lenetunk (Lam- 
ing-ton), Lebanon, Peapecli, Rediiigton and Bethlehem, April 1st, 1740; ordained and in- 
stalled Aug-ust 4th, 1741, at a yearl_v salary of fortj' pounds, wliich, after eig-ht j'ears of ser- 
vice, was raised to sixty pounds. The Bethlehem branch became self-supporting about 
1747, and the remaining- one hundred families constituted Mr. McCrea's charge until 1766, 
when he resigned. Rev. James McCrea lived during- this time, and died on a farm of about 
fifty acres, located on the south bank of the north branch of the river, aliout one and one- 
half miles from and west of Pluckenin villagre in Somerset county. The quaint house in 
which he lived, and in which it is said Jane was born, long since disappeared, and a few 
frag-ments that a neighboring ladj' saved, in memory of Jane, were sold as souvenirs about 
thirty-five j'ears ag-o, the money beings donated to the Women's Foreign Missionary Societj'. 
The church records of this jiarish were destroyed in 1S09 and the records of the town were 
burned in 1844. 

2 Marj' Graham was a member of the Tennant church of Free Port, N. J.; she died 
September 17th, 1753, aged 31 years. Her tombstone is still standing in the old cemetery 
at Lamington, N. J. 



The McCrea Family. 57 

and was admitted to practice in Alban}^ 17G6, married Eva 
Beekman. In 1763 he removed to the town of Northumber- 
land, Saratoga count}', and settled on a farm nearly 
opposite the mouth of the Moses Kill. He resided here when 
the Revolutionary war broke out, and October 20th, 1775, 
he v,'as commissioned as a colonel in the 13th Regiment of 
Infantry from the Saratoga District of Albany County. It 
was at this home, in Northumberland, that his sister, Jane, 
came to reside with him, and it was here she is said to have 
met with David Jones; from here she went to visit Mrs. 
McNeil, at Fort Edward, when she was captured by the 
Indians. Col. McCrea resided at this home until the near 
approach of Burgoyne's army rendered his further stay 
dangerous; he then removed to Albany. After the war 
Col. McCrea returned to his home and resided there until 
the "great burning" in 1781. His wife died in 1780. After 
his house was burned, and about 1783, he removed to 
Salem, N. Y., where he married his second wife, Eleanor, 
daughter of John McNaughton ; Col. McCrea was clerk of 
Washington countv from April 16th, 1785 until February 
24th, 1797, and it was through his efforts that the County 
Records that had been carried away by the Tory, Patrick 
Smyth, were returned to the office. Col. McCrea died at 
Lisbon, St. Lawrence county, about 1811. His children by 
his first wife were : 

Sarah, married Alexander J. Turner of Salem. 

John, who removed to Delhi, N. Y., was twice married. 
He died in 1863, leaving three sons and a daughter.^ 

Mary, who married Aretas M. Hitchcock; they lived at 
Fort Covington, N. Y., where he died in 1838; she subse- 



1 John McCrea, sou of John McCrea, and grandson of Col. John, was born 1788 at Fort 
Coventry ; died at Potsdam, N. Y., September 23d, 1S72, at the home of his dauffhter, Mrs. 
Jane McCrea Cox, who was named hi memory of the unfortunate Jane. Mrs. Cox was born 
May 15th, 1819, and at the date of the last information was still liviujr. 



58 The Fort Edward Book. 

quenth^ removed to Chicago where she died, in 1878, leaving 
two children, Alexander B. Hitchcock and Mary T., who 
married Valney G. Hatch, at LaSalle, 111. 

Maria McCrea, second child of Col. John McCrea, and 
John B., third child, are said to have both died in infancy. 

James, fourth child of Col. John McCrea, was a lawyer 
and settled in Essex county, N. Y.; was surrogate of that 
county from 1801 to 1807; removed to Ballston Spa and 
was a member of assembly from that county in 1824 and 
was one of the county judges, of Saratoga county. He 
married, 1802, his cousin, Ann McCrea, they removed to 
Columbus, Ohio, and then to York, Ohio. vShe survived her 
husband and left one child, Mrs. A. McNeil. 

Eva McCrea, youngest child of Col. John McCrea by his 
first wife, married William G. Eraser of Canada, where she 
went with him to reside. 

The children of Col. McCrea bv his second wife were: 

Jane, married a Mr. Cramer; Evelena, Samuel, John 
Jr., who married Harriet Bronson and had issue; Henry, 
Harriet, James, Ebenezer and Louisa. 

H. Mary, oldest daughter of Rev. James McCrea, 
married, 1760, Rev. John Hanna, of Pittston, N. J., whose 
school she had attended in a log school house that was 
just across the river from her father's home. Mary died 
januarv 18, 1782. Rev. John Hanna was pastor, until his 
death in 1801, of the Bethlehem Presbyterian church, near 
Clinton, N. J. They had lour children : James, John, William 
and Sarah. James and John graduated at Princeton, during 
the Revolution. Sarah, was adopted by Stephen McCrea; 
she married a Payne and lived on the farm in Northumber- 
land, where Col. John McCrea formerly resided. She caused 
the remains of Jane McCrea to be removed to the Union 



The McCrea Family. 59 

cemetery where they are now buried, and she erected the 
headstone that marks the final resting place of Jane 
McCrea. 

III. William McCrea, third child of Rev. James, 
married Sarah, daughter of Alexander Gordon, ofBallston; 
he was lieutenant in the patriot army during the Revolution 
(12th Albany Regt.). He died in New York city; he had two 
children, Robert, who died young, and Maria. 

IV. James McCrea, fourth child of Rev. James McCrea, 
was a soldier in the patriot army (12th Albany Regt.). He 
married, 1770, Maria Hoyhing;died at Ballston, 1826. His 
daughter, Ann, married her cousin, James McCrea, son of 
Col. John McCrea and Eva Beekman. 

V. Samuel McCrea was a private in Col. Van Schoon- 
hovens, 12th Albany regiment, in the Revolution; lived near 
Ballston, N. Y.; married a daughter of William Sloan, of 
Lamington, N. J. 

VI. Jane McCrea, youngest daughter by his first wife, 
of the Rev. James McCrea, was born at Lamington, N. J., 
about 1757. After her father's death she came to reside with 
her brother. Col. John McCrea, who then lived in the town 
of Northumberland, opposite the mouth of the Moses Kill. 
The Jones family shortly afterwards settled a few miles 
north of there on what is now known as the Rogers farm, 
opposite Fort Edv^^ard. She is said to have been possessed 
of an amiable disposition, agreeable manners, well formed 
figure, beautiful face and of a lovable disposition. She 
became affianced to David Jones, who, during those troubled 
times espoused the cause of the king, and became an officer 
in the British army under Burgoyne. She was killed at Fort 
Edward on Sunday, July 27th, 1777, by the Indians. 

VII. Stephen McCrea, son of Rev. James McCrea, 



60 The Fort Edward Book. 

was a surgeon in the American army. He married a sister of 
Col. Henr}^ Rutgers. He adopted as a daugliter, his niece, 
who afterwards became Sarah Manna Payne. After the 
Revolution Stephen settled in New York city and, no 
doubt, died there. 

VIII. Robert McCrea, eighth child of Rev. James, was 
a loyalist, and an officer in the Queen's Rangers; after the 
war he went to England. 

IX. Philip McCrea was an officer in the Revolution- 
ary patriot army and was killed in the service by an 
accidental shot. 

X. Gilbert McCrea, was a member of Lamington 
church as late as 1800. No other information. 

XI. Creighton McCrea, born 1763; died at Bound 
Brook, N. J., December 10th, 1818; was a loyalist ; after the 
war he went to England and then to India, afterwards re- 
turning to New Jersey ; he lived with and made a home for 
the widow of his brother, William, and her daughter, Maria, 
who inherited his fortune. 

XII. Catherine McCrea went to Ohio with her 
brother, Gilbert, and there married a Mr. McDonald. 



I am largely indebted to the valuable research of the late 
Hon. James Gibson of Salem, N. Y., for much of the forego- 
ing. I should also acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. 
Gardner Cox, of Holyoke, Mass. 



CHAPTER VI. 

WHO KILLED JANP: MC CREA ? 

The following article is from the unpublished Mss. of Dr. 
Asa Fitch, now in the possession of Mr. James Gibson, Jr., 
of Salem, N. Y. Dr. Fitch in his life time was well known to 
the people of this county. His character, his reputation, as 
a careful, painstaking investigator, need no commendation 
from me. His Mss., entire, is here published in order that 
all may know the doctor's exact w^ords on this subject of 
so great interest, not only to the people of this locality but 
to the world at large, for few events in the history of this 
or any other nation have attracted more attention than 
the death of Jane McCrea : 

"Who killed Jane McCrea? The Indians or the Ameri- 
cans — a tomahawk or a bullet?" 

That horrific incident of the War of Inde{jendence, the 
murder of Jane McCrea by the Indians whom (as I think) 
her lover had sent to escort her — finely dressed, like a bride 
on her way to the altar — to him in- the British camp, or 
more probable to the house of his elder brother, who was 
residing in the immediate vicinity of the camp, has been re- 
told in so many ways, and has had every circumstance 
which imparts a peculiar interest to it so much controverted, 
that it is difficult to determine which of the accounts is the 
most authentic. Col. John McCrea, the brother with whom 
the unfortunate maiden had been residmg, having been a 
lawyer, professionally skilled in obtaining evidence, judging 
of its credibility, and giving to every circumstance its due 
weight, and having also been a person of the first respecta- 
bility, the clerk of the county, and emp]o3^ed in several other 



62 The Fort Edward Book. 

positions of public trust, it can not be doubted, would know 
directly or indirectly ever^^ incident of this transaction 
which could be known — and that his statements in reference 
to it would probably be as correct and reliable as any we 
can have. But as he removed, within three or four years, 
from the neighborhood where the tragedv occurred, to 
Salem, N. Y., and thirty years later to Lisbon, St. Law- 
rence county, where he died, the accounts w^hich he gave of 
this affair are but little known, except locally among his 
more intimate friends in the places where he resided. 

Caleb Baker of Sandy Hill, one of the part\^ which went 
out from the fort and found the bod}^ and who assisted in 
bringing it in and conveying it next day to its place of 
interment, was one of the best sources of information on 
this subject, but, as he resided some three miles distant, 
and another person "who could tell them every thing about 
it" was more convenient of access to tourists, history- 
mongers, newspaper reporters and other penny-a-line 
visitors in hot haste after material for making a lucrative 
book or magazine article, and having neither time, taste nor 
talent for any patient, careful researches, he was but 
occasionally consulted, and but a few of the published ac- 
counts have been derived from his statements. 

Samuel Standish, of North Granville, N. Y., whose state- 
ment of any fact (his old neighbors assure me) would be 
perfectly reliable, in his application for a government 
pension makes oath to his having been an e\^e witness to 
the murder and scalping of Miss McCrea ; and Dr. Sparks, in 
his life of Arnold, with unhesitating confidence gives Mr. 
Standish's version as being the most authentic, yet, after 
all, I cannot divest myself of doubts respecting it. 

Mrs. Sarah McNeil, who was captured by the Indians 
at the same time with Miss McCrea and was taken to the 
British camp, having subsec|uently long remained a resident 
of Fort Edward, became the principal person who was 



Who Killed Jane McCrea? 63 

sought after by those who were anxious to know the 
particulars of this shocking afifair, and most of the published 
accounts have been derived from her statements. She is 
thus so much involved in this subject that, I find \\nth 
regret, it is impossible to avoid speaking of her somewhat 
freeh^ and in a manner which, perhaps, may not be pleasing 
to some of her descendants, who have already occupied a 
most responsible position in society. But to suitably 
vindicate the truths of history, leaves me no alternative. 
She was as I have been informed, a corpulent, elderly lady, 
of a romantic turn of mind, and a great talker, relating 
everything with much assurance and self confidence. She 
was, moreover, not a little proud of being so much referred 
to as oracular authorit}^ on the subject of Miss McCrea's 
death, and was vain of the reputation of being able to 
answer every inquiry which could he made in relation to 
that affair. It is easy to perceive that such a person would 
soon become weary of iterating and reiterating the same 
statements, and, on coming to notice how eagerly attentive 
her hearers became, and how deeply interested if anything 
was given them as being new and never told before, and 
that mere surmises and conjectures, which had on reflection 
been formed in her mind but never till then communicated 
to anyone, were received with more satisfaction than any 
other part of her recital, the temptation was strong and to 
her it was irresistible to interpolate some novelt}^ into each 
successive rehearsal of the story. And these surmises and 
conjectures, after a few repetitions, were liable to become 
wrought into her mind as being authentic facts which she 
well remembered and had often told before. And thus, as 
will be seen on comparing the numerous "authentic 
accounts" which have been derived from her, her statements 
gradually varied, until the recital as told in her latter 
years came to be wholly unlike that which she at first was 
accustomed to give. 



64 The Fort Edward Book. 

When she was advanced to extreme old age a new im- 
pression became fixed in her mind, nameh% that an examina- 
tion of the skeleton, at the time that Miss McCrea's remains 
were exhumed and transferred to the Fort Edward burying 
ground, had brought to light the fact that she had been 
shot and had not been killed by a tomahawk, as had often 
been stated. And she accordingl^v related this as being an 
important fact which had newly been brought to light, 
although Mr. Baker's account had already been that he and 
others in the fort, watching the Indians in their flight, as 
they were disappearing beyond the top of the hill, heard the 
report of guns and saw Miss McCrea fall from the horse. 

Finally, this new item in its turn becoming stale by repe- 
tition, and some other new gloss to the story being desirable 
to revive an interest in it, the old lad\% evidently from 
ruminating upon the supposed new fact that Miss McCrea 
had assuredlv been shot, hit upon another sensational 
addition to the tale, and began to report that upon casting 
the subject over in her mind she thought it was cjuite 
doubtful whether Miss McCrea had been killed at all by 
the Indians, as the soldiers at the fort were firing upon them 
at the time, she thought it was most probable a bullet from 
their guns that hit and killed her. This was the last 
brilliant vagary of Mrs. McNeil's feeble imagination — like 
the flame of the exhausted candle blazing brightly forth just 
as it is expiring, and hereby this shocking affair, which for 
so many years had been world renowned for its peculiar 
atrocit}^, would become dwarfed down into a mere casualty 
of little more importance than any of the other sad incidents 
which are of daily occurrence. But this, the last of the 
hundred and one variations with which Mrs. McNeil's 
prolific invention has travested this thrilling episode in our 
country's history, is rejected so decidedly by facts with 
which every careful reader of the annals of our Revolu- 
tionary struggle is familiar, that I am astonished to see 



Who Killed Jane McCrea ? 65 

some of the late compilers of historical and biographical 
works favoring this absurdity and giving it currency in 
their publications. It attests how very superficial these 
writers are, and what little weight their names must have 
a^ authority upon historical subjects. A single statement 
of Burgoyne's, which is copied in most of our American 
histories, conclusively shows Miss McCrea to have been 
slain bv the Indians. Says he "upon the first intelligence of 
the event, I obliged the Indians to deliver this murderer into 
my hands." How were they able to do this if Miss McCrea 
had been killed by a bullet from the American guns? No, 
the very wretch who had killed her was well known among 
them and was instantly produced upon Burgoyne's demand. 
If they had not killed her, would they not one and all have 
asserted, "it is impossible for us to produce the murderer, 
she was killed by the guns fired from the fort. Not one of 
us had any hand in causing her death ? " Upon my asking 
my esteemed friend. Judge Hay, who firmly beheves Mrs. 
McNeil was correct, how he accounted for it that the 
Indians did not thus, with united voice, protest their 
innocence of the deed with which they were charged, the 
judge replied, that they undoubtedly did so. But I find no 
shadow of evidence that they made such a protestation. 
"They undoubtedly did so (said the judge), but Burgoyne 
did not credit their statements." That is passing strange! 
Men are prone to believe what it's for their interest to 
believe. And Burgoyne more strongly than any other man 
in the world was interested in believing or pretending to 
believe that Miss McCrea was killed, not by his Indians but 
by the Americans, what a load of odium would this, were 
it so, take from him and the armed force under him, and 
the cause in which they served, and as he did not believe it, 
did not even intimate a suspicion that her death had thus 
been caused, to expect us at this late day to believe it, is 
expecting- quite too much. 



66 The Fort Edward Book. 

This topic has been brought to my attention and I am 
led to notice it so particular^, from having recently 
observed an anonymous article going the rounds of the 
nev^spaper press, taking Mr. Bancroft to task because, in 
the volume of his History lately published, he has failed to 
look upon this incident through the concave lenses of old 
Mrs. McNeil's spectacles, and has wholly ignored the new 
light which the writer thinks she has shed upon this subject. 
And I have just now been perusing a second article in the 
same strain, published in the first number of the Galaxy for 
the present year, and subscribed by one of my valued 
acquaintances and friends, Wm. L. Stone. I may here 
observe that twenty j^ears ago, the New York State 
Agricultural societ}^ engaged me in taking an agricultural 
survc}' of this (Washington) County, in which, among 
other things, I was required to report the date when the 
different towns of the county were first settled, and from 
whence the settlers came, and in investigating this subject 
I became much interested in the early historical incidents of 
the countv, and carefully gathered and noted down from 
the aged people their recollections of the occurrences which 
here transpired in their youth. Among other topics was 
this of Jane McCrea's murder. Ever\' circumstance relating 
to which, I treasured up with the more avidity, from being 
aware how much many of its incidents were controverted. 
Of the mass of matter which I accumulated upon this 
subject, much is so authentic that it is only those who are 
obstinately opinionated who will fail to be convinced b}^ it. 
I, of course, have formed pretty decided opinions upon the 
several incidents of this affair, and after reading it over a 
second time, I am obliged to say of this report of the "Jane 
McCrea Tragedy," in the Galaxy, that, unless I have been 
singularly unfortunate in the conclusions to Vk'hich I had 
arrived, there is not a statement in the whole commun- 
ication which is correct, even if a sentence commences with 



Who Killed Jane McCrea? 67 

a truth, the writer, before he comes to a period, invariably 
manages to weave in some matter which is apocr3^phal, 
and what are mere inferences and conjectures of the 
writer are narrated as being authentic and well ascertained 
facts. A candid, correct writer of history never abuses his 
readers in this manner — giving them the figments of his 
own brain as "well established facts." As a proof of what 
I have said, the following clause may be cited: "The well 
established fact that Jones had sent Robert Ayers with a 
letter to Miss McCrea, asking her to visit the British 
encampment and accompany its commander-in-chief, with 
his lady guests, on an excursion to Lake George, etc." 
How does the writer know the contents of that letter? 
Would he have us infer that the bearer of it w^as such a 
scroundrel that he pried into it and ascertained and 
divulged its contents ? And how ridiculous is the idea of 
Burgoyne's taking his lady guests on pleasure excursions to 
Lake George ! Did he take them in carriages ? Well, he, 
it is true, did have gun carriages; yes, and a company of 
"sappers and miners" to head the train and open a way for 
it through the woods, and bridge the swamps. And then 
the fact that Burgoyne was so delayed in opening and 
making passable the road from Fort Ann, south to Fort 
Edward, and was so deficient in teams for moving his 
supplies forward, may be adduced as being "confirmation 
strong as proof from holy writ," that he did make such 
excursion, whereby a portion of his force was diverted from 
the regular service, causing those well known delays and 
embarrassments. Much of the reasoning in this article is of 
a character quite similar to this. Now, my information 
respecting this letter and its bearer is materially different. 
In mv note book it reads as follows: "Ransom Cook, Esq. 
of Saratoga Springs, informs me that his father-in-law, 
Robert Ayers, as he has heard him say many times, was 
the bearer of a letter from Jones to Jane McCrea. He was 



68 The Fort Edward Book. 

an orphan boy, living at that time with a Tory family, 
probably in Kingsbury. The letter was brought from the 
north to this famil\^ and he was requested by his master to 
take it to Miss McCrea — with many strict instructions and 
cautions as to the route he was to go and the manner 
he was to proceed in carrying this letter and delivering 
it into her hands." Not a word was given me, it appears, 
respecting the contents of that letter, as would have 
been, no doubt, if they had been known to Esq. Cook. And 
as this is the onlv source from which such information 
could come, we are obliged to regard this "well established 
fact" as being pureh^ a coinage of the writer's brain. By 
thus boldly proclaiming them to be well known he evidently 
designs to forestall all conjectures upon the contents of that 
letter.. 

Now, I judge its purport to have been wholly unlike 
what is stated. I am confident that communication was 
something to the following eft'ect : "After so long a 
separation I am most anxious to see you again. As I 
cannot go to you, you must come to me as soon as it 
l)ecomes possible. We shall advance to the pine plains 
(Moss Street) in Kingsbury, on Saturday the 26th, where I 
can the next day get a horse from Brother John and send 
down to Mrs. A/TcNeil's to bring you to me, so do not fail of 
being at Mrs. McNeil's on Sunday forenoon. And shall we 
ever have a more favorable time than this for our long 
contemplated marriage? When (instead of some boorish 
conntrv justice of the i)eace) we can have the accomplished 
Chaplain P.rudenell t(^ perform the ceremony, with Generals 
Burgovne and Fraser, "and many a knight and baron 
bold,' and 'courtlv dames of high degree' to grace our 
bridal." 

Now, I am willing to enter the lists with Mr. Stone, or 
any other person, and show there are more circumstances 
for believing this to have been the purport of that letter, 




Marker, erected by Jane McCrea Chapter, D. A. R. 
near spot Avliere Jane McCrea Avas killed. 



Who Killed Jane McCeea ? 69 

with the safe conveyance of which Mr. Ayers was so strictly 
charged, than that it was a mere invitation to a pleasure 
excursion on Lake George. 

This article in the Galaxy ostentatiously claims to be 
" The correct version of the Jane McCrea tragedy, gathered 
from the statement made by Mrs. McNeil to General Bur- 
goyne on the 28th of July, 1777, in the marquee of her 
cousin, General Frasier." But it is no such thing. It is the 
statement given by Mrs. McNeil to Judge Hay some forty 
years or more after the time mentioned. It is wholly differ- 
ent from the statement she gave to Burgoyne. That hide- 
ous ogre, the " Wyandott panther," the "fierce Wyandott," 
the "ferocious Wyandott," was never once mentioned in her 
account then — for the very good reason that there vi^as prob- 
ably no such character among the Indian auxiliaries of the 
army — it having been, it seems, a Winebago chief, not a 
Wyandott, that was particularly involved in this murder. 

One who sat at the same table with Mrs. McNeil during 
most of the two weeks the army of Burgoyne was encamped 
at Fort Edward, and heard her repeatedly tell the circum- 
stances of this affair — for her tongue, he says, was running 
incessantly upon this subject — and who probably never 
heard her recital afterward, gave me, I doubt not, the most 
correct version of her statements at that time, which it is 
possible to obtain. And on comparing his report with this 
in the Galaxy, I find they do not correspond in a single par- 
ticular. 

I have not time at present to enter into any detailed 
account of this tragedy and a refutation of the errors of this 
article. I hope at no distant day, to draw up a full history 
of this transaction, adducing the evidence on which my 
opinion respecting each of its incidents is grounded, and 
which will, I think, relieve much of this subject from the 
doubts now resting upon it. I must limit myself at this 



70 The Fort Edward Book. 

time to a notice of a single item, that which forms the lead- 
ing point in Mr. Stone's communications. 

Both in his newspaper article and in this account in the 
Galaxy, he is after Mr. Bancroft "with a sharp stick," as 
the saying is, for the statement he makes in the last volume 
of his History, that one of the Indians who had charge of 
Miss McCrea "sunk his tomahawk into the skull" of this 
unfortunate young woman, whereas, Mr. Stone says 
Judge Hay writes him that Mrs. McNeil said Dr. Norton 
told her that he, the said "Doctor William S. Norton, a 
respectable and very intelligent practitioner of physic and 
surgery, examined her skull and found no marks whatever 
of a cut or a gash." 

Testimony which passes through so many hands be- 
comes dubious in its character, and the question arises, is 
Mr. Stone correct in his statement, or is Mr. Bancroft right? 
Was Miss McCrea killed accidentally by American bullets, 
as Mr. Stone affirms, or purposely by an Indian tomahawk, 
as Mr. Bancroft states? In glancing over my manuscript 
notes, I quite unexpectedly meet with some evidence bearing 
upon this point — evidence which I had wholly forgotten — 
not having been aware at the time of writing it down, that 
this was a mooted subject. I will copy in the words, in 
which I find them in my notes, the entire statements received 
from two persons, thinking they will interest the reader, 
although but a part of the matter bears upon the point in 
issue. The first is from one of the most candid, honest men 
in the town, an aged farmer and justice of the peace, who, 
from infanc\^ had lived within little more than a stone's 
throw of the spot where Miss McCrea's remains were first 
interred : 

"Warren Bell, Esq., informs me (Nov. 19, 1847) that he 
'pointed out the exact spot where Miss McCrea was buried, 
when they came to disinter and remove her remains many 
years ago, and saw them dig down to her coffin. The coffin 



Who Killed Jane McCrea? 71 

was made with wrought nails three inches long. The bones 
were in a good state of preservation. There w^as only a 
little hair about the back part of her head, fine, short and 
red, like horse hair. (Incipient decay always changes the 
human hair to the color stated.) Her clothes were all 
decayed and gone. On the most projecting part of the back 
of the skull, the bone was fractured and driven in; a portion 
of it, shaped like an inverted letter V, two inches long, had 
its apex driven in, its two lower angles holding it in its 
place. I crowded this depressed apex out into its natural 
position, as much as I could with my fingers, but could not 
get it perfectly back. Dr. Norton was present, to examine 
the skeleton, and can give you a better account of it. The 
officer, VanVechten (so he is named, I find, by the Fort 
Edward people generally), who was buried beside her, was 
also dug down to, and the coflSn opened, to make sure there 
was no mistake. It was plainly a male skeleton, and thus 
left no doubt we had got the right remains. Some thought 
we might find arms of some kind inclosed in his coffin, but 
there were none.' (Night approaching, I left Esq. Bell, pur- 
posing to visit him again, and have him go with me to the 
identical spot whence the bones were taken)." 

The other statement is that of my old professional 
neighbor and friend, Dr. Wm. Shepperd Norton, "a reputa- 
ble and very intelligent practitioner of physic and sur- 
gery." 

"Dr. Norton says (evening of Nov. 19, 1846): 'Miss 
McCrea was disinterred in the year 1823 or '24, in the 
spring of the year, when flocks of pigeons were coming over; 
I remember, for Rev. Hooper Gumming was here from 
Albany some days, and amused himself with hunting them. 
His address on this occasion, I think, was never published. 
The leading persons in removing the remains were myself, 
George Simpson and George R. Barker. The grave was 
about the usual depth — about four feet. The coffin was 



72 The Fort Edward Book. 

made of white pine boards. My recollection is not very dis- 
tinct as to the particulars of the skeleton. The bones were 
of a large size, and this excited a doubt whether we had got 
the right skeleton, or whether it was a female's skeleton. 
But upon inquiry, we learned Jenny was of a large frame. I 
think there was no hair in the coffin — there certainly was 
not much. The natural color of her hair was black, I have 
been told. There was a fracture of the skull on the top of 
the head, about the middle of the sagital suture, taking a 
portion of both sides of the suture; it was some two or 
three inches long, quite too large to have been made by a 
bullet, as I remember was particularly remarked at the 
time, for the accounts said she had been shot. We thought 
the fracture had been made by the head of a hatchet. The 
fractured part, it strikes me, was shivered and prettj^ much 
decayed.' (Dr. Norton's memory is so vague that I place far 
less reliance upon it than on Esq. Bell's. The subject had 
evidently been out of his mind for some time, wherebv he 
required to pause and reflect before replying to my in- 
quiries)." 

P. S. Esq. Bell tells me (July 1, 1848) that Jane McCrea 
was originally interred exactly under the east corner of the 
south abutment of the canal bridge over which the turnpike 
passes, a few rods north of the Black House at Fort Ed- 
ward Center. The officer at her side was laid west of her, 
and his remains still lie under the embankment thrown up 
against the abutment at the point where the earth meets 
the planking of the bridge — for in digging the canal, no 
bones were come upon, though the excavation passes 
within a few feet of the spot where his remains are lying. 
These two were the only persons ever buried here. The spot 
was always regarded as sacred, and in plowing the ground, 
a plot of grass about eight feet square containing these two 
graves, was aUvays left, their mounds continuing to be per- 
ceptible until old Sol. Emmons ran his plow over them, he 




-p 

O 



t) 



Who Killed Jane McCrea? 73 

then owning the spot and being the landlord of the Black 
House the eleven last years of his life. 

I think, with this testimony, no one will henceforth doubt 
it was the Indian's tomahawk that dealt the unfortunate 
Jane McCrea her death blow. From the statements of Mr. 
Baker and Mr. Standish, I suppose she was first shot and 
fell from the horse, and being still alive, was dispatched 
with a tomahawk. Mrs. McNeil, it is evident, remembered 
that the skeleton had furnished important evidence, but mis- 
remembered what the evidence was ; and one mistake fur- 
nishing to her a stepping stone to another, the public for 
nearly a score of years, has been plied to receive as authen- 
tic, historical truths, what are the mere vagaries of a garru- 
lous old woman's dotasfe. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE JONES FAMILY. 

This family is of Welsh descent, and one or more mem- 
bers of it settled in America some time before the Revolution 
of 1776-83. A descendant whose first name is not known, 
and who was one of twenty-one sons, married Sarah Dun- 
ham. At or before the commencement of the Revolutionary 
War, she had become a widow. At one time the family 
resided on the Rogers farm opposite Fort Edward, and Mrs. 
Jones also resided with her son, Daniel, in the town of 
Kingsbury, and removed thence to Canada after her son 
had gone there. In Upper Canada she lived with her son, 
Dr. Solomon Jones, on the north side of the St. Lawrence 
river, a few miles from Ogdensburg, N. Y., and is said to 
have died in 1806. The widow, Sarah Jones, had seven sons 
and two daughters. 

The eldest son, Jonathan, was a Captain of Engineers in 
a Provincial corps during the war, and after its close, re- 
ceived half pay. He removed to Nova Scotia, and died 
there at a good old age.^ 

The second son, John, was a captain in the "Royal New 
Yorkers" in the British service, and after his retirement from 
it, received half pay. He married a sister of General Trotter, 
of Albany, and settled in Upper Canada in the Township of 
Augusta, and resided there until the time of his death. 

The third son, Daniel, was the only one who did not 
serve in the King's army, He owned lands in Kingsbury 
and Oueensbury — over 2,000 acres — and resided in the former 



1 Jonathan settled at Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. His son, William, 
served with the British in war of 1812-14, and was with General Brock at taking' of Detroit. 
A descendant is, I believe, still living' in Nova Scotia. 



The Jones Family. 75 

place, and occasionally at Glens Falls, of the water power of 
which he was one of the owners. Having been accused, 
albeit as he claimed, unjustly, of sympathy with the British, 
proceedings were taken against him, and to avoid difficulty, 
he went to Canada. He eventually settled on the north 
bank of the St. Lawrence, where the Town of Brockville now 
stands, and died there in 1820. His first wife was Deborah 
Wing, daughter of Abraham Wing of Glens Falls, and his 
second wife was a daughter of Captain Covill, who had at 
one time lived in Duchess county, N. Y. By the first mar- 
riage, there were two children, Richard, who went from 
home, as is supposed, to sea, and was lost sight of, and a 
daughter, who by a second marriage, became Mrs. Simpson, 
and died many years ago without issue. By the second 
marriage, Mr. Daniel Jones had six children — two sons and 
four daughters. The sons were named David and Daniel, 
and both were lawyers, and both were for a time judges of a 
District Court, and both for a time, but not at the same 
time, held the office of registrar for the County of Leeds. 
David Jones at one time, represented the County of Leeds, 
and afterward the Town of Brockville, in the Upper Canada 
House of Assembly. He married Catherine E. Hayes, who 
died in 1874. Mr. Jones died in 1870 at Brockville. 
The second son, Daniel Jones, Jr., was twice married, 
first to Miss Morris, second to Clarissa Hayes, a sister 
of his brother David's wife, who died at Brockville 
in 1837, at the early age of 25. He visited England, 
and in 1836, was knighted at St. James Palace by King 
William the Fourth. Sir Daniel Jones died at Brock- 
ville on the 26th of August, 1838, aged 44 years. Of the 
four daughters of Daniel Jones, Sr., one became Mrs. Char- 
land, one Mrs. Corse, one Mrs. Hawley, and one remained 
unmarried; All are deceased. 

To David Jones, son of Daniel, were born several chil- 
dren, of whom four daughters survive. They are Ida 



76 The Fort Edward Book. 

Clarissa, married to W. H. B. Smythe, Thornton Cliffe, 
Brockville; Imogene Augusta, married to F. A. D'Espard, 
The Echoes, Rosedale, Toronto; Emma Matilda, married 
to Herbert S. McDonald, Woodlawn, Brockville, and Edith 
Catherine, inarried to George E. Dnggan. 

The fourth son of the widow, Sarah Jones, was named 
Thomas. He was a captain in the British Army, and was 
killed during the Revolutionary War. 

The fifth son, Dunham, was a subaltern officer in the 
same service, and was either killed or died from disease con- 
tracted in it. 

The sixth son, David, was a lieutenant in the "Royal 
New Yorkers " of General Burgoyne's army, and was 
betrothed to Jane McCrea, whose sad death when on her 
way to be married to him, is a well known event. He may 
be said to have been broken hearted owing to this shock 
and the grief which he felt. He removed to Canada and set- 
tled there, but did not long remain, having died in or about 
1790, when about 35 years of age. 

The seventh son, Solomon Jones, was an assistant sur- 
geon in Sir John Johnson's corps, and when Gen. Burgo^^ne's 
army surrendered at Saratoga, was serving with it. He 
was not made a prisoner, and effected his escape to Canada, 
where he served as a surgeon at Three Rivers and Montreal 
until the close of the war. He then went to the Township 
of Augusta, in the County of Grenville, Upper Canada, 
where he settled on land beautifully situated on the bank of 
the River St. Lawrence. Dr. Jones practiced his profession 
for inany years in the settlements along the St. Lawrence, 
from Cornwall to Kingston. He was a member of one of 
the early parliaments of Upper Canada, and for some time a 
District Judge, which appointment he held until his death in 
1822. He married Mary Tunacliffe, a native of Derbyshire, 
England, and at the time of her marriage, a resident of Rich- 
field, Otsego county, New York. By this marriage there 



The Jones Family. 77 

was a large famih', none of whom now survive. One of Dr. 
Solomon Jones' children was the late Dunham Jones, who 
was born on the 24th of April, 1793. He served his countr\^ 
actively in the war of 1812-14- as an ensign in the 1st Regi- 
ment of Grenville Militia, and again as a captain in the same 
corps during the insurrection of 1837-38, and was engaged 
in the action of the Windmill. Subsequently, he was ap- 
pointed lieutenant colonel of the 2d Grenville regiment; 
was a justice of the peace for many years, and for nearly 
the last thirty years of his life, was collector of the port of 
Maitland. He died at the old homestead in Augusta on the 
16th of September, 1876, in the 84th year of his age. Chil- 
dren and grandchildren survive him, and some of them still 
live in the house which Dr. Solomon Jones built in 1805. 

Of the daughters of the Widow Sarah Jones, one married 
a Mr. Lock wood, and removed to England, where she died 
in 1822. The other married a Mr. Hawley, and died leav- 
ing an only child, an infant daughter, who was brought up 
by her grandmother, married a Major Reid of the British 
army, and went to England, where she died. 

Herbert Stone AlcDonald, Judge of the County Court of 
the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, and ex officio 
Judge of the Surrogate Court, and Chairman of the Court of 
General Sessions of the Peace, was born at Gananoque, 
Ontario, Canada, 23d of February, 1842. His father, the 
Hon. John McDonald of Gananoque, was born at Saratoga, 
N. Y., on the 10th of February, 1787, almost immediatelv 
after the arrival of his parents from Scotland. The familv 
settled not far from Warrensburg, on the opposite bank of 
the Hudson, in Athol. John McDonald attended school at 
Fort Edward or Glens Falls, and subsequently went into 
business at Troy, N. Y., during a portion of which time he 
was in partnership with Honorable Townsend McCoun. In 
1817, he removed from Troy to Gananoque, Canada, and 
died there in 1860. 



78 The Fort Edward Book. 

Herbert S. McDonald graduated at the University of 
Queens College, Kingston, Canada, as B. A., in 1859, and as 
M. A., in 1861. Having studied lav;^, he was called to the 
Bar in May, 1863. In 1871 he was elected to the Legisla- 
tive Assembly of Ontario, for the South Riding of Leeds. In 
1873 he was appointed Junior Judge, and in 1878 Judge of 
the County Court, a position he still holds. In 1864 Mr. 
McDonald was married to Emma Matilda Jones, daughter 
of David Jones of Brockville, Canada, for some time M.P. P. 
for Leeds and Brockville, and for many years Registrar of 
the County of Leeds. Mrs. McDonald is a granddaughter 
of Daniel Jones, whose lands in Kingsbury and Queensbury, 
N. Y., were confiscated at the time of the Revolution, and a 
grandniece of David Jones, the betrothed of Jane McCrea. 

For much of the information contained in the foregoing 
account of the Jones family, the author desires here to ex- 
press his indebtedness to his friend. Judge Herbert S. Mc- 
Donald of Brockville. Judge McDonald has in his posses- 
sion the original of the following appraisal of lands belong- 
ing to Daniel Jones, formerly of Queensbury. This appraisal 
appears to have been made in a proceeding, the object of 
which was to secure compensation from the State of New 
York for the property of Daniel Jones, which was confis- 
cated at the time of the Revolution. There was consider- 
able litigation subsequently, as to the title of the Jones land. 
Those who are interested in the subject will find some addi- 
tional information in Wilson's "Life of Jane McCrea." The 
appraisal is as follows : 

"We, the subscribers, on the request of Mr. Daniel Jones, 
formerly residing in Queensbury, but now living in Oswe- 
gatchie, do appraise his lands and tenements in Kingsbury 
and Queensbury; do appraise four lots formerly owned by said 
Jones, containing nine hundred and seventy acres, at sixteen 
shillings per acre, and the bouse and improvements at sixty 



The Jones Family. 79 

pounds, and one town lot containing fifteen acres at fifteen 
shillings per acre, and the half of two saw mills in Queens- 
bury at three hundred and fifty pounds, and one house and 
stable and garden at one hundred pounds. The whole 
amounting to one thousand, two hundred and ninety-seven 
pounds, five shillings, as land would sold in the year 1774. 
"Appraised by us at Kingsbury, 26th day of Feb'y, 1787. 

Seth Sherwood, 
Wm. High, 
John Moss." 

On the next page is the following : 

" County of \ 
Washington/ 

" Personally appeared before me, Albert Baker, one of 
the Assistant Judges for the s*^- County, Seth Sherwood, 
William High and John Moss, the within signers, and made 
oath that the within written is a true estimation according 
to the best of their knowledge. 

"Sworn before me at Kingsbury, this 26th day of Feb'y, 
1787. Albert Baker, 

Assistant Judge." 

"I do hereby certify that judgment was entered against 
Daniel Jones, formerly of Oueensbury, the 23d day of Oct., 
in the year one thousand, seven hundred and eighty, in the 
Supreme Court, on his indictment. 

Albert Baker, 

Assistant Judge." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

LEGEND OF DUNCAN CAMPBELL. 

Whether in old times the human soul was endowed with 
powers which it does not now possess, or whether, as some 
believe, it still possesses powers of so subtle a nature as to 
elude definition and classification, must, perhaps, forever 
remain a matter of vague and visionary conjecture. Cer- 
tain it seems, that among the Scottish clans, there have, 
from time to time, appeared individuals endowed with gifts 
that enabled them to say, with no great stretch of poetic 
license: 

" 'Tis the sunset of life gives me mystical lore, 
And coming- events cast their shadows before." 

One of these tales of premonition — of second sight — or of 
anticipatory vision, call it what you will, has cast a kind of 
mvstic halo around the gray, grim walls of Ticonderoga — 
affluent with realistic memories of historic emprise and 
heroic adventure. 

This story of the troubled life and death of Duncan 
Campbell, which takes its rise in the land of the heather and 
the clan, and finds its consummation before the walls of 
Ticonderoga, is one of the links that not only binds the Old 
World to the New, but seems to unite this world, which is 
visible and material, with that which is invisible and imma- 
terial. 

On the western coast of Scotland, where the shore line is 
broken by the indentation of the Great Glen, which extends 
from Iverness to Loch Linnhe, on the eastern side of the 
loch, in that part of Scotland commonly known as Argyle- 




H^rc Lyes The Bo%ofOiin4 
C ariipDC ll of InversawT^ sq *" 
N4ajor"B TIte old Hig)iiaii<] 



eorsi: 



of Ttie fol^^il^mtf: ®f :j 



Headstone, Duncan Campbell of Inverawe. 
Union Cemetery, Fort Edward. 



Legend of Duncan Campbell. 81 

shire, dwelt the Stewarts of Appin. To the south and east 
of the Stewarts dwelt the Campbell clan. Not far from 
where Loch Linnhe enters the main land, an apparent 
branch, a little to the south, cuts in and is called Loch 
Etive — a sea loch, with rugged shores covered with tangled 
wild wood. All the country hereabout is rough and wild, 
abounding in lochs, rivers and glens, hills and vales, and 
over all towers the majestic peak, Ben Cruachen. Nearby 
the river Deergan, "the river of the red stain," debouches 
into Loch Crieran. The valle}^ through which the river falls 
is precipitous, and at its mouth some four or five large 
boulders in the bed of the stream are called stepping-stones. 
This place is still known as the "murderer's ford," and the 
glen itself is called Glen Saleach — the "dirty pass." The 
second of the stepping-stones, tradition says, is the spot 
where Donald Campbell was murdered by Stewart of Appin, 
and the tragedy is known as the " murder of Loch Crieran." 
Following down the stream and crossing the foi-d at Loch 
Etive and ascending the hill be^^ond, Liverawe is reached, 
situate upon a slight eminence overlookmg the River Awe, 
not far from where it empties into the Loch Awe. Here, 
surrounded by hills, and at the foot of Ben Cruachen, stands 
the old castle — the home of Duncan Cam])bell — Laird of 
Inverawe. 

It seems that about 174'2 Duncan Campbell, an officer of 
the Highland regiment, known as the Black Watch, was 
sent to Lorn, in Argyleshire, to harry and distress the ad- 
herents of Prince Charles Edward. Returning from the dis- 
charge of this unpleasant duty, he was separated from his 
followers, and, night falling rapidly, he lost his wav among 
the many mountain passes; when turning sharply into a 
ravine, he was startled to find himself confronted bv a stal- 
wart Highlander, with black hair and piercing eyes. Each 
grasped his sword, when the stranger accosted him and de- 
manded his errand. Duncan replied that he had lost his 



82 The Fort Edward Book. 

way and required a guide; a voice from behind said, "He is 
alone, else we would not have suffered him to pass." 
Whereupon the stranger escorted Duncan to an unknown 
camp in the recesses of the mountains, gave him food to eat, 
and shared his couch with him. The stranger refused to 
reveal his name, but it was apparent that he knew who 
Duncan was, and his errand in that part of the Highlands. 
When day broke the Highlander escorted his guest past the 
sentinels and set him on the road toward his own home. 
Inverawe expressed his gratitude in fitting terms, and 
vowed he would repay the kindness shown him, if the op- 
portunity ever afforded. In time he came to know that his 
benefactor was none other than Donald Campbell, a mem- 
ber of the same clan as that to which he himself belonged. 
This adventure, which is strikingly similar to that of Fitz 
James and Rhoderic Dhu, had become well-nigh forgotten, 
and years afterward, when Inverawe asked for and obtained 
leave of absence from his military duties, one night, while 
sitting alone in his castle, he was startled from his reverie 
b}^ the sound of hasty footsteps at his door, accompanied by 
loud and hurried rappings. Answering the summons, he 
was surprised to find at his door, Stewart of Appin, a man 
for whom he had but little love. In hurried words, Stewart 
told his host that in a feud he had slain a man ; that he was 
pursued; his life was now in danger; he besought Camp- 
bell to give him sanctuary, and asked an oath of secrecy. 
His distress, the extremity of his need and evident terror 
prevailed. Duncan Campbell gave the required oath and 
received Stewart of Appin into his castle, where he w^as 
secreted in an underground room. Scarcely had Campbell 
returned from this errand, when a second alarm, louder and 
more imperative than the first, called him again to his door, 
where he was confronted by a band of his own clansmen, 
who told him that at the stepping-stones in the ford of the 
Deergan, his kinsman — Donald Campbell — had been slain 



Legend of Duncan Campbell. 83 

by Stewart of Appin; not in open, manly fight, but treach- 
erously, and by a blow in the back ; the assassin had made 
his escape; the hue and cry raised, and the murderer fol- 
lowed through difficult and obscure passes in the direction 
of Inverawe. Campbell, sick at heart at the thought of con- 
cealinor the murderer of one of his own clan who had thus 
been foully slain, and to whose chivalric generosity he owed 
his life, yet mindful of the obligation of his oath, gave an 
evasive answer to the pursuing party and sent them away. 
That night, after he had retired to his chamber, which is 
still called the "Ghost Chamber" at Inverawe, in the 
"dread, vast and middle of the night," he was awakened by 
a light "like that which never shone on land or sea." It 
filled the room, and he distinctly saw the manly form of 
Donald Campbell of Lorn — his murdered clansman, his jet- 
black hair disheveled, his clothing disarranged and soiled 
with blood. He instantly recognized the apparition as that 
of his former benefactor. The consciousness that beneath 
his own roof he now gave shelter to the cowardly murderer, 
filled his soul with remorse and regret. The silence was 
broken by the ghostly visitor, who said: 

"Inverawe, Inverawe, blood has been shed; shield not 
the murderer." 

After which the vision disappeared. When morning 
broke and 

"The dawning- beam 
Purpled the mountain and the stream," 

the memorv of the vision of the man and of the voice 
troubled the mind of Duncan Campbell. He sought Stewart 
' of Appin in his hiding place and plainly told him that, while 
by reason of his oath he would not betray him, yet he could 
no longer shelter him. Stewart reminded him of his prom- 
ise, and at his entreaty, Duncan led him to a secure hiding 
place in the solitary mountain passes of Ben Cruachen. But 



84 The Fort Edward Book. 

the recollection of the horrors of that night haunted him 
through his waking hours, and the second night, as he sat 
before his fire reading, as was his custom before retiring, his 
hound, his sole companion, trembling in every limb, began 
to howl in that low, dismal tone which indicates the pres-« 
ence of the sense of terror in the brute creation. Raising his 
eyes from his book, he again saw the ghostly form of Don- 
ald Campbell of Lorn standing before him, radiant in the 
sheen of the same weird light. There was the same un- 
earthly presence; the black hair, the piercing eyes, the same 
disheveled dress, the same ghastly blood-stain ; the hands 
were outstretched as if asking for aid. The hound's broken 
whimpering sank almost into silence, and again the appari- 
tion spoke: 

"Inverawe; Inverawe; blood has been shed; blood 
must atone for blood ; shield not the murderer." 

And m a moment the vision faded in the air and was 
gone. All that night the sense of horror of the supernatural 
presence filled the soul of Duncan Campbell, and the recollec- 
tion of the spoken words lingered long in his memory. In 
the morning he sought the spot in the mountain wilderness 
where he had left the murderer, but he was gone. All the 
second day the memories of the past, the vision, the voice 
and the gesture of the apparition harassed his soul, and the 
third night, weary with watching, he sought his couch, but 
as the midnight hour approached, he was again awakened 
by that undefinable feeling which accompanies the conscious- 
ness of the presence of an invisible person. And the third 
time he saw the vision accompanied with all the customary 
demonstrations, but this time the voice was not one of warn- 
ing, nor was the attitude of the apparition that of supplica- 
tion, but on the contrary, the tone and appearance were 
threatening, and the spoken words were: 

"Inverawe, Inverawe; blood has been shed; blood 



Legend of Duncan Campbell. 85 

must atone for blood. We shall meet again at Ticon- 
deroga." 

At this time the name of Ticonderoga was wholly un- 
known in that part of the Old World ; yet the name of the 
final meeting place with the wraith of the man of Lorn, 
remained with Duncan Campbell, and he made diligent 
inquiry of his acquaintances as to the location of Ticonder- 
oga. The name, unusual, troubled his mind, and haunted 
his memory. 

"It sang- in his sleeping ears; it hummed in liis waking head, 
The name Ticonderoga, and the warning of the dead." 

Time passed, and in 1758, Duncan Campbell had become 
a major of the Forty-second Highlanders. There was 
war between England and France, and the Black Watch 
was a part of Abercrombie's expedition directed against the 
French encroachments to the northward. As the army ap- 
proached Ticonderoga, Abercrombie, hearing the name of 
the fortress, recalled to mind the story of the vision of Dun- 
can Campbell, and, summoning the officers of the Black 
Watch about him, he privately directed them to call the 
fortress they were about to assault. Fort George, and to 
conceal its true name from Campbell. The night before the 
eventful attack which resulted so disastrously to the Eng- 
lish, Duncan Campbell, while engaged in examining the field 
of the prospective engagement, near dusk, while crossing the 
bridge which at that time spanned the outlet of Lake 
George, distinctly saw before him the apparition of the man 
of Lorn. There was no mistaking the presence. Instantly 
it flashed upon his mind that this must be the final ren- 
dezvous. Upon making inquiry, he learned that the place 
was called Ticonderoga, or Carillon. He reproached his 
brother officers with having deceived him, and said: 

" I have seen him again ; this is Ticonderoga." 



86 The Fort Edward Book. 

His mind was filled with the most dismal forebodings, 
and he told his friends that he should not survive the mor- 
row's fight. He accordingly made all his arrangements in 
contemplation of approaching death. In the disastrous and 
deadl}^ assault the next day, upon the fortifications which 
occupv the slight plateau between the silvery waters of 
Lake George and the tawny billows of Lake Champlain, 
wdiere "in the audience of ages," Abercrombie and Mont- 
calm "crossed the swords of France and England ; " where 
the lily of fair France in the New World sprang to greater 
growth, from this soil, drenched and fertilized by the blood 
of those who fought and followed beneath the banner of the 
combined crosses of St. Andrew and St. George, all the offi- 
cers of the Black Watch were either slain or mortallj^ 
wounded. Duncan Campbell, in the agonies of approaching 
death, was removed by the retreating army to Fort Ed- 
V ward, where on the 17th day of July, 1758, on the ninth 

day after the battle, he died and was buried. In later years, 
his remains were removed from the old burying-place in 
Fort Edward village to the iJnion cemetery on top of the 
Fort Edward hill, where they now repose within the inclos- 
ure of the Gilchrist family lot. The headstone, apparently 
of red granite, quaintly decorated and carved with curious 
conceptions of immortality, old and moss-grown, and to 
some extent disfigured by the vandalism of unappreciative 
visitors, bears this inscription : 

"Here Lyes The Body of Duncan 
" Campbell of Inversavv, Esqr 
"Major To The old Highland 
"Regt^ Aged 55 Years, Who Died 
"The 17th July, 1758, of The Wounds 
"He Received In The Attack 
"of The Retrenchments of 
"Ticonderoga or Carillon, Sth Ju-Y. 1758." 

Within the same inclosure are two other Campbell head- 



Legend of Duncan Campbell. 87 

stones; one erected "In memory of Mrs. Ann Campbell of 
Balenabe, and consort of Mr. Duncan Campbell, who died 
August the 10th, 1777, in the 74th year of her age." The 
other reads : "Ann Campbell, daughter of Mr. Archibald 
and Mrs. Florence Campbell, who died August 11th, 1777." 
The contiguity of graves and the identity of names, of 
course, suggest, while they do not prove, consanguinity. It 
would be interesting to venture upon the almost wholly un- 
explored field of genealogical research in this connection, did 
not time forbid, yet perhaps it may be permitted to say 
that the family to which Duncan Campbell belonged traced 
its origin back through many Archibalds, earls and dukes of 
Arg\de, to Archibald, the eighth earl, who placed the crown 
on the head of Charles II, at Scone, and to Archibald, the 
second earl, who fell at Flodden's fatal field, back to the 
Campbells of Lochow^ first ennobled as barons in the fif- 
teenth century, who then received the estates and titles of 
the rebellious MacDonald. This legend, so intimately con- 
nected with Ticonderoga, like all such supernatural tales, 
has many versions and variations. Fact and circumstance 
of time and place, conflict battle and sudden death, the 
struggle of nations, the onward sweep of civilization and 
the majestic march of events have conspired to light up the 
ruins of the ancient fortress, with all the glamour of history 
and tradition, and they lend to the grave of Duncan Camp- 
bell, on the beautiful hilltop at Fort Edward — 

"Far from the hills of heather, 

And far from the isles of the sea." 

a mysterious interest that leads us to the very verge of the 
unknown world. 



The foregoing account of the Legend of Duncan Camp- 



88 The Fort Edward Book. 

bell is reprinted from Vol. II, of the Proceedings of the New 
York State Historical Association. The author embraces 
this opportunity to acknowledge his indebtedness to the in- 
teresting articles upon the same subject by C. F. Gordon 
Gumming, in the Atlantic Monthly, September, 1884; Dean 
Stanley, in Frasier's Magazine, October, 1880; Robert Louis 
Stevenson, in Scribners Magazine, December, 1887, and to 
the account by Francis Parkman, and also to that in Win- 
sor's Critical and Narrative History of the United States. 

The Gilchrist family, within whose lot the remains of 
Duncan Campbell now rest, were of Scotch descent. Alex- 
ander Gilchrist, the emigrant, came to this country about 
1740, and undoubtedly was one of the Loughlin Camp- 
bell colony, and the original owner of Lot No. 83 of the 
Argyle Patent. He married Catherine McNeil after he came 
to this country. He died in 1768, leaving two sons — Alex- 
ander and Archibald. Alexander married Sarah White of 
Argvle, about 1794, and lived and died upon his father's 
farm. Archibald came to Fort Edward and purchased a 
farm east of the present village of Fort Edward. From 
these two brothers have sprung large families. They were 
men of position and character in the community. 

Alexander Gilchrist claimed, it is said, to be related to 
Duncan Campbell. If the tradition be true, the relationship 
is not known to the author, and whether or not the many 
Campbell families now residing in this and other localities 
may trace descent from Duncan Campbell, is perhaps uncer- 
tain. 

A very accurate cut of Duncan Campbell's headstone 
with the inscription thereon, as it now stands in the Union 
cemeterj^ at Fort Edward, may be seen herein. 



CHAPTER IX. 

DIARY OF ENSIGN HAYWARD OF WOODSTOCK, CONN., KEPT 
PRINCIPALLY AT FORT EDWARD IN 1757. 

The great interest taken at the present time in the mili- 
tary service of our forefathers is a sufficient apology, if one 
is needed, for the publication of this book. It was in the 
early French and Indian wars that the founders of this 
nation gained the experience and education that in a later 
day fitted them for the more severe and long continued 
struggles with Great Britain. They were bred to arms and 
inured to the hardships of the march, the camp and the bat- 
tlefield. The early and scant records they left behind sug- 
gest little familiarity with the culture of military schools, 
and but meagre acquaintance with the craftsmanship of 
red tape. The original manuscript volume, of which a copy 
is set forth in the following pages, was, when it came into 
possession of the writer, yellow with age, and in places diffi- 
cult to decipher. Original methods of spelling and hand- 
writing not over plain, combined to render the task of the 
copyist somewhat difficult and arduous. Nevertheless, care 
has been taken to make a faithful transcript from the origi- 
nal. The iac simile signatures that appear therein were 
made from the original autographs signed to orders for the 
payment of money, contained in the book, some of which 
are herein set forth. These orders, excepting only dates and 
amounts, are for the most part exactly identical in phrase- 
ology, from which it may be inferred that after the first was 
composed, it was thought expedient to use it as a precedent. 
That the form w^as an original composition may be confi- 
dently believed. It has not the polish of the scholar, nor the 



90 The Fort Edward Book. 

elegance and precision that might characterize the model 
from a book, yet it has all the material parts of a valid 
order for a payment of money. The more we contemplate 
the early colonial histor}^ of our countr\', the more we shall 
admire the talent and ability of the men who, while they 
were denied to a great extent the advantages of what we 
call a liberal education, yet comprehended the essentials of 
every transaction and every situation, and who when they 
were without a precedent, were competent to make one. 
The campaign in which Ensign Hay ward served is notable 
in our history by reason of the massacre at Fort William 
Henry. We can, in this book, very plainly follow the route 
of the 3^eomen of Connecticut to the site of warfare in the 
Province of New York. The entries in the original book do 
not follow each other in chronological order, and indeed in 
the manuscript there doesn't seem to be any order, from 
which it would appear that such events only as attracted 
the especial attention of the Ensign were made the subject 
of memorandum by him. The death of an old acquaintance, 
the discharge of a comrade, the auction sale of a dead sol- 
dier's effects, a skirmish with Indians, a detail to Saratoga, 
the capture of Fort William Henry, were all events in the ex- 
perience of this soldier, which he thought worth while to 
record. Most of the entries appear to have been made at 
Fort Edward. 

At the time in which the book was wn"itten the fortifica- 
tion at Fort Edward had been but recently constructed. 
The fort was of earth and timber and mounted a number of 
guns, and an army of respectable dimensions was assem- 
bled here. Faint traces of the former location of the fort 
remain. The grass grows green upon its ancient escarp- 
ments; the destructive influence of time and the more 
destructive vandalism of human greed have united to level 
its ancient parapet, and to fill up the moat. Alders, wil- 
lows, rank underbrush and weeds grow in the ditch that 



Diary of Ensign Hayward. 91 

once surrounded its walls. The underground passage to 
the river has been wholly obliterated, the stockade is gone, 
and not even a tablet to-day marks the spot where once 
stood an important military post. The soldiers' graves are 
overgrown and all unknown. The storehouses once filled 
with munitions of war have disappeared, and little besides 
the name remains of this ancient fort. Numerous relics of a 
war-like people are still found in the vicinity of Fort Ed- 
ward. There was, in 1876, an old cannon on the Island in 
the Hudson river at this place, which had an ancient date 
upon it, earlier than 1750, and for all we know, that very 
gun may have been, as it probably was, one of the defenders 
of Fort Edward in the old P>ench and Indian wars. Tradi- 
tion indeed ascribed to it an English origin, and connected 
it with the history of the fort, but no one certainly knew 
whence or how it came here; for a hundred years or more, 
it lay in the sand on the Island, an object of wonder to 
small boys. It was of considerable size, by which I mean 
that its weight was nearly 4,000 pounds, and in latter times 
it was a gun of reasonably steady habits. True, on the 4-th 
of July, it would speak in tones of thunder when solicited 
thereto by patriotic youths, but all of the rest of the year 
it lay quietly sinking into the sand. The patriotism of the 
voung men who in 1876 attended the Fort Edward Col- 
legiate Institute, proved too much for the old gun, and in 
the "middle of the night" it was exploded by bad boys of 
the Institute; students, they called themselves, some of 
whom have since become clergymen, doctors, lawyers and 
professors, legislators and statesmen. On this eventful 
night in 1876— it must have been in June— the students at the 
Institute removed this relic of Revolutionary fame from its 
resting place on the Island to the campus of the Institute, 
and notwithstanding the caution and prudence of Dr. King, 
who then, as now, was principal of that institution, at 
sometime about the hour of midnight, after the five strokes 



92 The Fort Edward Book. 

had sounded, and when law abiding students should have 
been in bed, with irreverent hands thev loaded the old gun 
to its muzzle and discharged it. The Institute bell, that dur- 
ing all its previous life had been wont to summon the stu- 
dents to class and chapel, with the decorum becoming a 
well behaved bell, on this eventful night tolled by invisible 
hands, rang the death knell of the old gun, and on the 
campus a funeral pile was lighted. The old cannon wrought 
havoc in its expiring throes, and there are those who yet 
remember with what mighty and destructive effect this old 
war dog gave up the ghost as it spoke its last piece, and 
burst into a thousand fragments. It was one of the last 
relics of Fort Edward that had survived the vicissitude of 
time and change, and the writer can but express his regret 
that thus was destroyed one of the most interesting memen- 
toes connected with Fort Edward and the war-like days 
of old. 

Not many 3^ears since, an underground room was uncov- 
ered on the site of the old fort. It was constructed of brick, 
each of which was rudely but plainly marked, "1757." It 
is not improbable that these brick were burned in this vic- 
initj'- by the men who built the fort. Clay and sand suit- 
able for such purposes are still found hereabouts. 

Cannon balls and shells of various sizes are often found, 
as are also lead and iron musket balls, gun flints, bayo- 
nets, swords and sometimes articles of personal adornment, 
fragments of glassware that suggest the convivial hoard, 
Indian spears, tomahawks, arrow heads, images perhaps of 
worship ; stone pestles, skinning implements, rubbing stones, 
rude specimens of the Indian pottery. French, Spanish and 
English coins of copper and silver with ancient dates are not 
infrequently found ; and bones of wild animals by the 
remains of ancient camp fires and cooking implements have 
at different times been uncovered. Some of these are relics, 
no doubt, of the Revolutionary period, and some of them 



Diary of Ensign Hayward. 93 

are of the era of the French and Indian wars, and some are 
traces of the occupation of this country by the aboriginal 
inhabitants. 

The rank of ensign no longer exists in the American 
army. The duties of the office are now discharged by the 
color sergeant. Benjamin Ha3'ward was a resident of 
Woodstock, Conn., and it was from a relative of his family 
that the original book was obtained. The entries suggest 
that he acted at times not only as an auctioneer, but that he 
also discharged the offices of a banker in addition to those of 
a soldier. No one can regret more than the writer that the 
means and time at his command have not permitted more 
research as to the soldiers mentioned in this book, and the 
writer knows full well that it falls far short of all that could 
be desired, but if it shall serve the purpose of rescuing from 
oblivion the names and service of some of those brave men 
who, in the days of long ago, at great sacrifice, fought the 
good fight for God and native land, it will not have been 
published wholly in vain. 




We set out from whome^ April ye 14th. ^ got to har- 
ford^yelS! Marcht from harford 21 Day to farmunton* 

1 Benjamin Hayvvard's home was in Woodstocli, Windham county, Connecticut, a 
small town in the northeastern part of that state. 

2 1757. 

3 Hartford. 

4 Farming-ton, Hartford county, west of Hartford. 



94 The Fort Edward Book. 

10 myle. the 22 from farm to harwinton,^ 23 from Har- 
wington to Litchfield- 9 mile, ye 24 day Litchfield 12 m3de 
to Cornwall^ 25, from Cornwall to Salisbury.'*' from Salis- 
bury to Anacram^ 15 myle, 27 to Levenston^ 14 myle, 28 
day Irom Leavenston to Claurick'^ 8 mvle. Moved from 
Clauack May 3'e 13 to Clanterhook^ 22 mile ye 14 day 
to Greenbush^ 13 mile ye 15 dav we crost ve River ^*^ 
above Alban\' and went by land to mile on the west side of 
the River, and then crost ye River ^^ to VanDerKedens at 
ye flats, ^- y^ 21 day we moved from the flats 12 mile. 
The 22 day we moved to Long Medder on the greate fly 12 
mile, ye 23 day to Salatoge 8 mile. The 27 day went one 

to the River to the Fort. We had a scimage with 

Indians ye 10 dy of June ^^ and we lost 9 men. 5 Kiled that 
we found and Capuated 4. 

Aug 26, 1757 Limeon Kennedy Died. Joseph Bacon 
died Sept 16, 1757. Thomas Stanton died Oct. 2, 1757. 
Sarjant Park's and Samuel Wheeler and Seth White went 
whome Oct. 14. Oct. 20 Edward Cole went ofwhome. John 
Povller went off to go home Oct. 25. William Farnam, 
Liman Stephens and Martin Answorth, and William Wake- 
field, all of them are gone. John Fooler and Samuel Colfix 



1 Harwinton, Litchfield coiinti', to the northwest of Farming-ton. 

2 The next town west of Harwinton. 

3 Cornwall is northwest of Litchfield. 

4 The extreme northwest town in Connecticut. 

5 Ancram, Columbia countj'. N. Y., the southeast town in that county. 

6 Livingston, Columbia county, on the Hudson to the northwest of Ancram. 

7 Claverick, north of Livingston. 

8 Kinderhcxjk in the northwestern part of Columbia county. 

9 Greenbush, south of Albany in Rensselaer County. 

10 The Hudson. 

11 The Mohawk. 

12 The exact place seems uncertain. 

13 On June 10, 175", M. de Bourlamaque, a sergeant, seven soldiers and 90 Indians, a 
part of the French army, attacked an English pioneer party near Fort Edward. They 
t<Hik 4 prisoners and 30 scalps and escaped to Lake George. — Holden, Queensbury, 307. 
Colonial History of New York, Vol. X, 669 and 579. VanDreuil says this engagement "was 
in the vicinity of Fort Lydius" (Fort Edward), the garrison of which consisted of 300 men. 



Diary of Ensign Hayward. 95 

went whome Nov John Ha3'ward Jr. camew home Sept. 

14, 1757, Fort Edward, Fort Trumball. 

No date to this entry. 

Benjamine Hayward of Woodstock in Connecticut, In 
New England. I came from whome ye 15 da^^ of April. ^ 
We came from harford 20. We came to Fort Edward May 
3'e 25, 1757. I went upon a Cort Marshal May ye 31 and 
Tryed one Prisoner and he was forgiven. To Mr. Joseph 
Havward att Woodstock in Connecticut New England. 

July ye ^ 1757 Capt Putnam^ before Day, up near 

Wood Creek ^ falls, had a scrimmage^ with Indians and he 
had three of his men wounded and he sent of a party of men 
with them and the Innimy soon found them and Killed one 
and carried off the other two and we went to meet Capt. 
Put. about 300 or 400 and Genl. Lyman went head and we 
had about one Days Provision and we were out fore da3^s. 
Aug ye 2 Lieut. Porter died. Aug ye 3 ye upper fort*' was 



1 These dates do not exactly agree with the jirevious narrative. This reads like a 
letter that perhaps was never sent. 

2 This date illegible. 

3 Israel Putnam. 

4 Whitehall 

5 It is impossible to say whether this engagement here related is that of Lieut. Marin, 
or not. Marin's engagement was on the 26th or 27th of July, 1757. 

6 This was Fort William Henry at Lake George. It was called the "Ujjper Fort" in 
common parlance. Montcalm began the siege of Fort William Henry on the 3d of August. 
He had an army of 9,000 men and a train of artillery. His instructions were to reduce Fort 
George and Fort Lj'dius. These instructions so far as Fort George, or Fort William Henry, 
as it was called by the French, was literally complied with. It is not within our province 
to enter upon a detailed account of that tragic event which history has named the Mas- 
sacre at Fort William Henrj'. Montcalm commanded the French, Gen. Munroe the English. 
After a brief siege, the latter was compelled to surrender, and although the capitulation 
provided for a safe escort to Fort Edward, such was the ferocity of the Indian allies of the 
French, that an indiscriminate plunder, pillage and massacre of the English ensued. These 
transactions have made each part of the old military road from Lake George to Fort Ed- 
ward the scene of tragedy and bloodshed. The fair shield of France was stained with dis- 
honor. The name and fame of the Marquis Montcalm have suffered in consequence, per- 
haps unjustly. This marvellous man, by his own account, exerted his powers to prevent 
this slaughter. He says in a letter dated at the " Camp on the ruins of Fort William 
Henry, called by the French Fort George." on the ISth of Aug., 1757, "I cannot conceal 
from you that the capitulation has unfortunately suffered some infraction." During the 



96 The Fort Edward Book. 

Beset and the\' gave up the fort ye 9. Aug ye 9, Prince 
Goodin Captivated at ye upper fort and Nathanel Ralph at 
ye same time, and made his escape, and got to Fort Edward 
the 15 of this Instant and he lost his arms acuterments. 
Aug 24, William, Eavins died at ye Hospitil7 2 came from 
fort Edward to Salatoga Sept 6, 1757, on command with 
Capt Beel with about six subalterns and 210 Privates and 
ye 9 day went into the woods, and ye 10 day upon Gard. 

David Campbells things were sold att Vandue att ye 
Hiest Bider. 

William Heavens died Aug ye 23, 1757. 

Simeon Cinne^^ (?) died Aug 28, 1757. 

Fort Edward Sept. ye 3d 1757. 
An account of William Eavins things that I sold at ye 

hiest Bids 

s d 

Nathan Call, Dr for a Grate Cote, 17 

Asa Hum|ihrey, Dr for Briches, 3 3 

David Clea viand, Dr to jacket, 3 11 

John Day, Dr to a pair of trousers, 1 



sieg'e of Fort William Henry, Gen. Webb was at Fort Edward with 6,000 men. They were 
impatient to be led to the relief of the besieged garrison, but Gen. Webb, with a cowardice 
that has left an indelible stain upon his honor, refused his consent. Once indeed 2,000 men 
marched out in battle array, but were ordered back b.v Webb, and Munroe's appeals for 
aid were all unheeded. On that 10th day of Aug-ust, 1758, down the old military road, a 
little east of the present Broadwa3', in the Village of Fort Edward, came that affrighted 
unarmed band of 1.500 fugitives, pell mell, without order, each for himself in a race for life, 
seeking safety within the walls of Fort Edward. The next day, those that Montcalm had 
rescued and ransomed from his Indian allies, arrived under the escort of the French. It is a 
curious fact that among these fugitives was Col. John Young, who, stripped and plundered 
by the Indians, lived to participate in the capitulation of Quebec two years later, where he 
recognized and recovered some part of the property stolen from him on this occasion. 

7 The hospital seems to have been located on the Island opposite the fortifications. 
Many human skeletons have at different times been uncovered in this locality. No stones 
or other markers have been discovered, within the memory of any person now living. 



Diary of Ensign Hayward. 97 

s d 

Moses Durkee, Dr to snapsack, 1 

Squar Priest, Dr for stockings, 1 6 

These things were sold att a vandne at the hiest Bid- 
der by me. 

BENJAMIN HAYWARD, 

Fort Edward, Sept 3, 1757. 



Fort Edward, Aug 20, 1757. 
Asa Humphrey, Dr for six pounds of shuger, 6 s. 

Fort Edward, November 8, 1757. 
to Capt Israel Putnam or to ye Paymaster of s^ Com- 
pany Please to pay unto Benjamin Hayward for Vale Reed 
the sum of thirty shillings Lawfull money and Reduct the 
same out of my wages. 



Fort Edward, Nov. 13, 1757. 
To Capt Israel Putnam or to ye paymaster of s'i Com- 
pan\^ plese to Pay unto Benja Hey ward ye some of six shil- 
lings and reduct ye same out of my wages. 




Upon the following dates are similar orders signed as 
follows : 

Nov. 30 — Thirty shillings, 

JOSIAH CARY. 



98 The Fort Edward Book 

Nov. 9 — Twenty shillings, 



ICHABOD x'tHOMPSON. 

Mark. 



Nov. 8 — Twentv-two shillings, 



o/g^^^C 



Nov. 5 — Twenty shillings, 




^^'j/^ /cKT^c/^r 



Oct. 31 — Twenty-seven shillings, 



Oct. 30 — Ten shillings, 

TIMOTHY x'aSCHOROFT. 

Mark. 



Oct. 30 — Eighteen shillings, 



Diary of Ensign PIayward 
Oct. 7 — Twenty shillings, 

V. 



99 




Nov. 5 — Twenty shillings, 



JOSEE^H ESTON. 



Oct. 29 — Five pounds, 



^^ 




Oct. 30 — Four shillings, 



l^^^O^O^^^^^^^^ y^5^^7oW^ 



Oct. 30 — Same amount. 



jP^^^^-^o^ 



Oct. 30 — Twenty shillings, 




nav^<^^ 



% 



Oct. 30 — Sixteen shillings, 




/. 



O^Wt 



j^ 



L.ofC. 



100 The Fort Edward Book 

The following autographs also appear m the diary 





S^C ( //^ >^>^<^> 



Capt Putnam's men Dr. to Capt. Barry: 





£ 


s 


d 


Samuel Sabins, 


1 


3 


11 


Arnold Smith, 




5 


5 


John Day, 


1 




7 


Benoney Barnes, 


1 


2 


5 


John Stone, 




13 


4 


Samuel Barret, 




8 




Moses Durkee, 




8 




Will Farnam 




5 


11 


Samuel White, 




2 


8 


Josah Cory, 




2 


8 


Jonathan Thompson 


» 


5 


3 


Squier Priest, 




5 


3 


Caleb Enmon, 




5 


3 


David Cleaveland, 




17 




John Brown, 




5 


1 


John Green, 




4 


2 


Joseph Ruttan, 




5 


3 


Jabish Parkiss, 




15 




Samuel Colefix, 




4 


8 


Michael Hulit, 




5 


3 


John Williams, 




9 


7 


John Pooller, 




8 


9 


Elisha Edd3% 




5 




William Eavens, 




2 




Arnold Smith, 




1 


6 



A Provisional Return for the Detachment of ye Connec- 
ticuts. Salatoge for fore days, commencing 3^e 14th and 
ending ye 17th September. 



Diary of Ensign Hayward 



101 



Roster. 

Ensign, Benjamin Hayward. 
Sergeant, Elisha Cady. 
Sergeant, Israel Nobles. 
Captain, John Donaghy 

Francis Summers, 

Matthew Waller, 

Daniel Boge, 

Asel Webster, 

Joseph Roe, 

John Mills, 

John Hubbard, 

Timothy Lankton, 

Elisha Cook, 

William Farman, 

John Eggelstone, 

Othmel Moses, 

Elisha Humphrey, 

John Gurley, 

Hezekiah Carpenter, 

Thomas Henry, 

Simane Zauarcy. 



John Vergerson, 
Daniel Fowler, 
Joseph Palmer, 
William Wallbridge, 
Samuel Morgin, 
Moses Dickason, 
Russel Hubbard, 
Samuel Hubbard, 
Ruben Hubbard, 
Joseph Beaman, 
Benager Beaman, 
Luke Gridley, 
Jacob Fuller, 
Alexander Grant, 
Nathan Lyon, 
Ashbel Moses, 



Vitualing Return of Capt. Israel Putnam's Company, 
Commencing Sept. 20, and ending the twenty-third — both 

Days encluded : 

1 ensign, 2 Rations 
40 privates, 40 do 



Total, 42 rations 

Reed of ye Quarter Master Ripley, provisions, all speacis, 
it Being for fore days allowance for each of ye above rations. 
Sept 20, Fort Edward, 1757. 

BENJA. HAYWARD, Ensn. 



102 The Fort Edward Book 

Camp at fort Edward, July ye 7th, 1757. 

Mr. Pomeroy, the SettUer, Dr. for money lent, 1£ 7s 8d 
Lawfull money. 

Sept. ye 9th, 1757. 

Went Into the woods to Git Timber with 1 Sargt. and 
20 privates. 

Salatoge, Sept. ye 16th. 

I Reed, ye first letter after father went from hear, Dated 
ve 10th of This Instant. 



Fort Edward, Oct. ye 5th, 1 757, 

I Changed firelocks with Asa Humphrey for ye time we 
continue in the service. My firelock was a very long won 
and his was won of ye King's arms and when we are Dis- 
charged we are to Return each other his fire lock. 



CHAPTER X. 

justice's court in early days — LIST OF JURYMEN — 
SOME EARLY MARRIAGES. 

Matthias Ogden, the first postmaster of Fort Edward, 
was appointed Justice of the Peace, March 18, 1795. He 
was admitted and licensed to practice in the Court of Com- 
mon Pleas of Washington County, on the 15th day of 
February, 1792, and on the 21st day of November, the 
same year, in Saratoga County, and at the October Term, 
1794, in Clinton County. The first entry in his Attorneys' 
Register is as follows : 

"Washington Common Pleas. 

"Elisha Kilburn, Junr., vs. James Jackson, James Sharp, 
James McWrithe, Abraham Sharp, Catherine Sharp, Eleanor 
Sharp, Abraham Utter and Andrew Sharp, Jacob Sharp, 
John Sharp, Jermima Sharp, Mary Sharp and Stephen 
Sharp. Ejectment for lands in Hampton. Lovett for plain- 
tiff. I am of counsel with Honey wood, who is attorney for 
defendant. Retained 3rd February, 1792. Morehous has 
become defendant, together with Kilburn. " 

From the entries in this register, it would appear that 
Mr. Ogden had a lucrative and extensive practice in his pro- 
fession. His Justice Docket is also before me as I write. 
It would seem that a large part of the litigation in these 
days was before the Justice of the Peace. Many of the 
entries indicate that he was accustomed to hold his Court 
at "Baldwin's Inn''^ at Argyle (Fort Edward), kept by 
Alexander Baldwin and later by Samuel Baldwin. 



1 Baldwin's Inn stood on or near the site of the Mansion House on Lower Broadway. 



104 



The Fort Edward Book. 



The following are the names of jurors who served on 
juries before Justice Ogden. They were, no doubt, residents 
and freeholders of Argyle at that time. The figures set op- 
posite their names indicate the year in which they first 
served. 



Baldwin, Alexander 


, 1796 


Gillis, James 


1796 


a i. 


> " 


" John 


" 


" Cornelius, la 


b'r, " 


Gilchrist, Archibald 


t i 


Baker, Caleb 




" Alexander 


1798 


" Lyman 




Hopkins, James 


1796 


Blany, John 




Kilmore, Adam 


t ( 


Bristol, Ames 




Lawrence, John 


<( 


Silas 


1798 


Matthewson, Isaac 


1798 


William 


1796 


McDougall, Alexand 


er 1796 


Brown, Alexander 


" 


" Daniel 


1798 


" Daniel 


" 


Mclntyre, Peter 


1797 


" John 


(< 


Moses, Enum 


1798 


Bush, Lebadiah 


" 


Powell, Joseph 


a 


Carey, Moses 


t i 


" Ebenezer 


a 


Cowan, William 


(( 


Reid, John 


1796 


Dunham, Joseph W. 


1797 


Richardson, Francis 


1797 


Durkee, James 


1798 


Stebbins,Sol., blksmi 


th 1796 


John 


1796 


Roberts, Ezekiel 


1798 


" Lidius 


« 1 


Ptosseter, Russell 


1797 


Nathan 


1798 


Selbridge, John 


1796 


Egelston, John G. 


1796 


Scovil, Thomas 


1798 


Stone, John 


1797 


Smith, John 


1796 


Smith, Jonah 


1798 


Willoby, Robert 


1797 



Some of the entries in this docket are interesting. The 
vast volume of the litigation was brought on accounts and 
promissory notes. Andrew Squire is plaintiff in many 
actions, and as in some instances, his complaint is "on a 
book account for victuals and drink found and provided. "' 
He doubtless was an innkeeper. 



Justice's Court in Early Days. 105 

In June, 1796, Samuel Scovil,Jr., sued John Furman, Jr., 
on a promissory note for 8—5-8 pounds sterling, and the 
defendant produces an account against the plaintiff of 
"3-3-0 pounds for running seven rafts over the Fort Miller 
Falls." 

The same year, Alexander Baldwin sued Stephen Scovil 
" for drink found and provided, and for boarding Roswell 
Western, Esq., at his request. Dr. 1-14-11 pounds." 
Roswell Weston was a lawyer at Sandy Hill, N. Y. The 
same year Daniel HamHn brought an action against Austin 
Waterhows "for that whereas the defendant, on the 15th 
day of December, 1795, promised the plaintiff at Saratoga, 
that is to say at Argyle, and in the County of Washington, 
to draw two hundred dock logs of the plaintiff from off his 
land in Saratoga, between that time and the last day of 
April, then next, and deposit them on the bank of Hudson's 
River opposite to a place called and known by the name 
of "Deadman's Point, "^ in consideration that the plaintiff 
should permit defendant to take one hundred of the saw 
logs and should cut them as fast as the defendant should 
want to draw them, which defendant has neglected to do, 
although the logs were cut as foresaid by the plaintiff. 
Damages $10." 

Defendant pleaded to set off "for divers dock sticks drawn 
to the rafting place on the west side of Hudson's River, 
opposite to Deadman's Point; for cash lent, for two bushels 
of corn sold 16s; and for damages on failure in not having 
certain dock sticks ready according to agreement ; and 
also for divers dock logs drawn to the place above mentioned 
and used by the plaintiff. " 

This is the earliest mention found of Deadman's Point, 

Samuel Scovil, Jr., brought an action against Simeon 
Coates because he had failed to deliver 2,100 "good mer- 



1 A well known locality in tjie upper part of the present villag-e of Fort Edward. 



106 The Fort Edward Book. 

charitable timber withs" at the then dwelling of the defend- 
ant in Queensbury. 

August 24th, 1796, upon the complaint of Warren 
Ferris, Esq., it appearing that a dog belonging to Perry 
Sturtevant in Kingsbury, had attacked Ferris as he was 
peaceably traveling on the highway, the Justice in pursu- 
ance of the statute entitled, "An act to encourage the 
raising of sheep and to prevent injury b}' dogs, " passed 
February 13th, 1789, made an order directing the said 
Perry to kill the said dog. It was of a "light brindle color 
with a short tail." 

May 15th, 1797, Ogden administered the oath of office 
toLidius Durkee, as overseer of the highway of Argyle, and 
May 19, the like oath to Joseph Pettis, and June 15, '97, to 
John Peterson; June 24, '97 to Peter Sanders, and in 1798, 
he swore in the following: Peter Sanders, John Lawrence, 
Harris Hotchkiss, Solomon Stebbins, Silas Dibble, Murphy 
Mclntyre, Lyman Baker. 

July 23, 1798, John Eddy sued Francis Belong in trespass 
"for breaking and entering plaintiff's close and with defend- 
ant's horses heading down, eating up and destroying grass 
there growing of 50s value. Dr. $10. Defendant confesses 
damage to the amount of one cent. Judgment for the 
plaintiff for the same and seventy-two cents. — total dam- 
ages 73 cents." 

Early Marriages From the Justice Docket of 
Matthias Ogden. . 

"August 18th, 1796, Elephilet Eglestone was in due 
form joined in matrimony to Mary Edd}^, by me, the parties 
both residing in Argyle." 

"November 13th, 1796, Edward Ball and Mary Odell 



Some Early Marriages. - 107 

were in due form married by me, at Kingsbury, in the 
County of Washington. The bride resides in Queensbury." 

"November 15th, 1796, Martin Hopkins and Sarah 
Pettis, daughter of Mather Pettis, both in the County of 
Washington, were in due form married by me, at Argyle, 
aforesaid, this day." 

"24th November, 1796, Thomas Greorery of Argyle, 
in the County of Washington, was in due form joined in 
matrimony with Anne Moon, alias dictus Anne Dickinson, 
by me this day, at Argyle, aforesaid." 

"Kingsbury, County of Washington, 2nd day of Jan- 
uary, 1798, Ebenezer Powell and Hetty Durkee, a daughter 
of Solomon Durkee, both of the town of Argyle, were in 
due form married by me." 

"30th day of January, 1798, Joseph Powell and Jillive 
Scovil were in due form married before me." 

"February 27th, 1798, Thomas Scovil of Argyle, and 
Ester Richardson of Kingsbury, were in due form married 
by me." 

"22nd March, 1798, Ezekiel Roberts and Jillinance 
Scovil ( the elder), both of Argyle, were in due form joined in 
marriage by me." 

"2nd August, 1798, Asa Green and Christeen Worden, 
both of Argyle, were duly married by me this day." 

"28th August, 1798, John Sloan and Eunice Durkee, 
daughter of James Durkee of Argyle, were in due form mar- 
ried before me this day." 

"25th February, 1799, Silas Hewitt and Patty Warner, 
both of Argyle, in the County of Washington, were married 
before me this day." 



108 



The Fort Edward Book. 



Matthias Ogden and his wife are buried in the old ceme- 
tery in Fort Edward village. The inscription on their tomb- 
stone is as follows : 



In Memory of 
MATTHIAS OGDEN 

Who Died Nov. 25, 1825 
In the 44th year of his ag-e 



In Memory of 

ESTER ogden; 

Wife of Matthias Og-den, 

Who Died July 6th, 1822 

In the 42d year of her age 



Their monument was erected by their affectionate 
daughter, Catherine Ogden. 

Mrs. Ogden was, so the writer is informed, a daughter 
of Col. Robert Cockran, the Revolutionary patriot. 



CHAPTER XI. 

REMINISCENCES BY AN OLD RESIDENT OF FORT EDWARD. 

The late Captain Silas S. Hubbell, who, at time of his 
death, was one of the oldest residents of the village of Fort 
Edward, one day gave the following description of the 
village, as he remembered it, in 1845, and this narrative, as 
the Captain dictated it, is reproduced here: 

"In IS-iS, above where the railroad now crosses Broad- 
way, the buildings were as follows: Where Aaron Kinne's 
fruit store formerly stood, was a small frame dwelling. 
Next was the St. James Church ; above that was the brick 
house where the Washington Count}'^ Advertiser now is. 
George Deuel, father of the late George A., lived there; then 
came the brick house, now the residence of Mrs. J. F. Harris, 
Charles Harris lived there; he was a contractor and lum- 
berman. Then, what is now the Cheesman house, William 
Pardue lived there ; he was a son-in-law of Joseph DeWolf. 
Then came a little frame store, where Harry Bennett now 
keeps; this building, remodeled, is now used as a barn by A. 
P. Hill; then came the Fort Edward Hotel, owned and kept 
by Edward Washburn; this extended from the corner of 
East street south, as far as the Mabbett building. Above 
East street was the "brick row" owned by D. W. Wing; it 
was a tenement building with accommodations for five fam- 
ilies. This building had a basement, and stairs on the out- 
side led to the first floor; then came the residence of E. B. 
Nash, a story-and-a-half frame building on the lot now 
owned by E. N. Sanderson ; then came the residence of Tim- 
othy Stoughton, who lived in the house now occupied by 
Miss Caroline Stoughton. There was no Washington or 



110 The Fort Edward Book. 

Liberty streets then, and that part of the village was a 
swamp; above the Stoughton house, was, I think, the resi- 
dence of Daniel Carswell, where Mrs. Robert Montgomery 
now lives; then came the residence of Samuel Cook, on the 
site of Mrs. Hoj^sradt's house. On the top of the hill was 
the Case house. On the west side of Broadway stood the 
home of Dr. William F. Norton — the house now occupied by 
A. V. Pratt. This house was built by John Miller, who after- 
wards removed to Whitehall; going north, a little low 
building stood where P. C. Thebo's store now is; John 
Reeves, brother of Hiram Reeves, kept this; then came the 
place of Joseph DeWolf, where Edgar Hull now lives; then 
came the Walter Rogers residence, now occupied by Dr. 
Ball; then the house where B. M. Tasker now lives; next 
came a little building where Somers Block stands; John 
Crawford, father of William J. Crawford, had a harness 
shop there; the postoffice was kept there when James Mcln- 
tyre was postmaster; this was afterward a tailor shop, and 
office of Mr. Mclntvre when he was Justice of the Peace. 
There was a red tenament house that stood about where 
the harness shop of A. B. Cahee now stands; then came a 
store kept by John Finn, where the Baptist Church now is; 
then the dwelling occupied by Peter Finn, where the stores 
of the Fort Edward Company now are; then a frame house 
that stood on the site of the brick building now occupied 
by A. Kinne & Son. This house is the one now occupied by 
me (Mr. Hubbell) on East street. Then came a little frame 
store, where is now the drug store of Contryman & Wing; 
James Cheesman kept this store; where Wing's Exchange 
is now, stood a brick story-and-a-half building, kept 
by D. W. Wing, a general store, and the principal one in 
town; then came the residence of D. W. Wing, where H. 
Davis Northup now lives. Next came the Timothy Eddy 
place, where the dwelling now owned by F. B. Davis stands. 
There was a little paper mill where now stands what is 



Reminiscences. Ill 

called the "Old Mill;" a small dwelling stood near by; 
there was a saw mill and a dwelling near it, farther up on 
the Point. This was all there was north of the railroad. 
On the hill there w^as a house where A. C. Hodgman now 
lives; when I first remember it, I think the father of Ed- 
ward Groesbeck lived there. Above that on the Sandv Hill 
road was the house that George Stevens now lives in. I 
think Sandy Robinson, the father of Mrs. Seth Parish, lived 
there then. There was a stone house back from the road 
where John Parry's father lived; he was called 'Priest 
Parry.' That was all till the Sandy Hill line was 
reached." 

Captain Silas S. Hubbell, who gave the foregoing de- 
scription of Fort Edward, as he first remembered it, was the 
son of Jonathan Smith Hubbell, who was born December 
5th, 1804, the son ot Erastus Hubbell and Rachel Smith, 
a lineal descendant of Richard Hubbell, the emigrant who 
came to this country about 1645. Jonathan S. married 
in 1824, Eliza Butler of Lanesboro, Mass; he came to Fort 
Edward in 1840, from Sheldon, Vt., and lived in a little 
house which is still standing in the lower part of the vil- 
lage of Fort Edward, opposite Hilfinger's potter3% and now 
owned by Mrs. Amos L. Sargeant. In March, 1841, he re- 
moved to the house now occupied by Julius B. North, on 
East street, where he carried on a canal grocery and hotel, 
and where, in 1848, he established a livery business, which 
he thereafter carried on during the remainder of his life. 
This place he bought of Hyman Cool, a brother of Kizer 
P. Cool of Glens Falls. His children were: Caroline, who 
married John E. Mclntyre; Cornelia S., who married Caleb 
Wells, and Silas S. Hubbell, born July 14th, 1837; he mar- 
ried Mary T. Finn, daughter of Peter Finn of Fort Ed- 
ward ; she died July 18th, 1875. Two children were born 
by this marriage — Laura S. and Mary C. He married. 



112 The Fort Edward Book. 

second, Anna S. Brown, daughter of James N. Brown of 
Chicago. He died January 22nd, 1902. He was a soldier 
in the War of the RebelHon, having enlisted in the 93rd New 
York Volunteers, October 19th, 1861. He was com- 
missioned as second lieutenant, Januar}^ 30th, 1862; he 
was first lieutenant the same year, and Captain, June 10th, 
1869, and was mustered out of service November 13th, 
1864. At the battle of North Anna, May 24th, 1864, when 
a color bearer of his regiment, Robert Wallace, was shot, 
Lieutenant Hubbell, in the face of the enemy went forward 
to the bridge where Wallace was killed and brought off the 
colors. This feat has been erroneously attributed to Lieut. 
William Ball of Company K, but Lieutenant Ball was not 
in this engagement. R. S. Robertson, the author of this 
unintentional error, has since been satisfied that he was 
mistaken in attributing the above mentioned deed to Lieut. 
Ball. 

Some of the items from the account book kept by Jona- 
thans. Hubbell in 1841-42 are of some interest to us to-day, 
and are here given as showing not only the stock kept by 
Mr. Hubbell, but also the prices paid for merchandise at 
that time, viz: 

1 pint lamp oil $ .15 1 jug $ .19 

2 lbs. candles 32 2 lbs. butter 29 

2 lbs. brown sugar 21 5 sheets paper 05 

1 light glass 04 2 cakes soap 04 

2 pieces pie and one 1 head comb 13 

beer 11 1 g^^- molasses ".19 

1 peck fine salt 22 1 peck beans 25 

1/2 lb. pepper 06 1 gal. vinegar 19 

1/2 lb. Y. H. tea 38 1 oz. black thread .15 

8bu. oats 3.00 1 pint rum 13 

2 pair yarn mittens.. 1.00 1/2 paper pins 06 

1 lb. saleratus 13 1 pt. port wine 31 



Reminiscences. 



113 



1 almanac 04 

5 drinks 15 

1 pt. best gin 19 

1 pt. wine 13 

1/2 lb. tobacco 13 

V2 ton hay 7.50 

1 pt. whiskey 06 

1 lb. coffee 16 

V4 lb. snuff. 09 

1 back comb 10 

V2 bu. potatoes 16 

1 bbl. flour 6.75 

1 bed cord 25 



1 pk. dried apples 31 

9 lbs. codfish 38 

2 lbs. raisins 16 

6 pipes 03 

1 bunch matches 02 

113 lbs. ham 7.91 

59 lbs lard 4.13 

1 bbl. pork 12.00 

V^ bu. corn 38 

4 lbs. nails 28 

3 papers garden seeds .18 
52 hemlock boards... 3.12 
V2 doz. lemons 19 



And the names of his customers as they appear upon 
his account book were as follows: 



William McCormac 
Seth Scovil 
Peter Mills 
Samuel E. Cook 
J. Mclnhill 
John A. Miller 
David McEachron 
Daniel Mclnt3^re 
Charles Durkee 
John McDougal 
Richard Hall 
Ora Elmore 
Peter Sanders 
Daniel Carswell 
Myron Rozelle 
R. W. Pratt 
Stephen Harris 
Charles Durkee 



Duncan Mclntyre 
James Austin 
Albert F. Hall 
James McDougal 
C. Gregory 
Harve\^ Miller 
George Wheeler 
Jas. H. Gilchrist 
Philander Buck 
Medows Brock 
Roswell Grant 
K. P. Cool 
Alex. Gilchrist 
James McCoy 
Hugh Duffy " 
Robert McCoy 
Jonathan Pike 
John Donaldson 



Samuel Wilcox 
Milton E. vShaw 
David Taylor 
Chris. Van Duzen 
John Pierce 
James Gray 
Wilham Bibbins 
Edward Fulling^ton 
William Hitchcock 
Sanford Case 
Chas.N.Quitterfield 
Asahel Green 
Nicholas Mclntyre 
Thomas Pike 
Hugh King 
Jacob Pike 
James Powell 
James H. Ingalls 



114 



The Fort Edward Book 



Wm. J. Crawford 
Wm. Eddy 
Charles Harris 
Humphrey Durkee 
Walter Rogers 
Samuel T. Andrus 
Wm. S. Norton 
Timothy Eddy 
Archibald Durkee 
Abijah Williams 
James H. Robinson 
Jonathan Potter 
Morgan Wells 
Wm. Blakely 
Israel Bennett 
Wm. Bliss 
Wm. Co wen 
Wing, Alden & Co. 
Philip Pike 
Wm. J. Padden 



Charles Peterson 
John S. Crawford 
Jeremiah Nichols 
Abraham I. Fort 
John Linendoll 
Chas. M. Gilchrist 
Wm. McLane 
John Squires 
Orval Quitterfield 
James R. Gandal 
John Rozelle 
Leonard Sanders 
Charles Paine 
Gardener Fowler 
Jacob Hagaboom 
Benj. Stevens 
Alex. Peterson 
G. & E. Howland 
John J. Demorest 
James Henderson 



Billings Grant 
Edward Smith 
J. M. Reeves 
Elijah Town 
Nathan Wood 
Lyman Woodward 
Halsey Grant 
William Pardu 
Horace Harris 
David Matthews 
Solomon Haviland 
John Hiland 
E. Crane 
Austin Elmore 
David B. Smith 
D. W. Wing 
Ephrium Tasker 
Oliver Hunter 
Robert Perry 
Walter Bell 



CHAPTER XII. 

FORT MILLER — ITS EARLY SETTLERS— THE DUER HOUSE. 

The settlement here was made at some time previous to 
the Revolution. William Duer had his residence on the hill, 
east of the village, and a saw-mill a few rods north of the 
present pulp mill. Noah Payne came about 1766; the 
Crocker family came about the same time. On the west side 
of the river, Wvnant, Nicholas, John and Cornelius Van Den 
Burg and Peter Winnie settled and lived there before the war. 
There was a saw-mill and grist-mill there when the}^ 
bought of Jessup. There were two wing dams on that side. 
These Van Den Burgs were not all brothers; W3mant Van 
Den Burg's wife and Peter Winne's wife were sisters. On 
the east side of the river on the farm now occupied by Wil- 
liam LinindoU and owned by Jesse Billings, lived a family 
by the name of Dove, and one by the name of Zebec. On 
the next farm north lived another family, Wiley by name. 
Solomon Smith built a large house in 1799 on the south- 
west corner of Schuyler's patent, near the mouth of Stony 
Kill; here he kept Smith's Inn. He sold to Ira Bragg, 
after the war of 1812, and here the first postoffice was kept. 
This house was in the present town of Greenwich. Smith 
served in the legislature in 1803. The house burned in Nov- 
ember, 1893. Samuel Bennett and John Patterson came in 
1799 and did business for many years. Bennett died in 
1865 and Patterson in 1867. A man by the name of Nath- 
aniel Gage lived here in 1783; his widow afterwards lived 
on the bank of the river in the rear of the site of the present 
hotel, near where Frederick Jakeway lives. Peter Winnie, 
who afterwards bought on the west side, lived a few feet 
from the east end of the present pulp mill, and was agent at 



116 The Fort Edward Book. 

one time for William Duers. Isaac Raymond kept tavern 
near the line between the towns of Fort Edward and Green- 
wich, but it was then all Argyle. The building that Ray- 
mond owned is now, after two or three remodelings, and a 
removal from the west to the east side of the road, occupied 
by A. S. Trumble. Raymond was a hatter by trade. 

In 1810 Samuel Bennett built the store now occupied by 
G. T. Hunt. Isaac Crocker built the house just south of the 
store in 1807, and Charles Switzer built the one opposite in 
1808; the latter burned in 1890. Philip Macadoo built 
the main part of A. F. Nichols' house very early in the cen- 
tury, and Philip G. Viele, grandson of the blacksmith, occu- 
pied it for many j^ears. One Beers built a house and kept 
a tavern on the ground where the present hotel stands; it 
was, in 1806, kept by William Wilson. At the same time 
Thomas Carpenter kept a store on the opposite side of the 
road, a short distance north of the tavern, and a few feet 
south of the house now occupied by Mrs. Oscar M. Bassett ; 
this afterward burned, and the house now occupied by Mrs. 
Bassett was built, I think, by Gleason. John Patterson 
lived in it for many years and kept store in the south end. 
Ashabold Meacham lived opposite and conducted a tavern 
in a part of what is known as the Tefft house, just north of 
the Reformed Church. Meacham and Bleeker of Albany 
were at one time partners in the ownership of the water 
power and the land on the west side of the road. They 
divided in 1809. In 1804 Thomas Lamb went into the 
tavern which Simon Kittler (or Kittlehine) built. Lamb 
died in 1806; his widow afterward married George Jake- 
way, who lived about one and one-half miles south, in 
the town of Greenwich ; he died in 1817. After his death 
she came back and remodeled the old house and kept it for 
many years. During her absence it was kept by Stearns. 
It is the large house just north of the Baptist church and is 
now owned by George Rice. 



Fort Miller. 117 

The war of 1812 made things lively along the road, for 
not only must the troops be moved, but all the supplies for 
them had to be drawn by horses. People who remem- 
bered said that the roads were crowded with teams all the 
time. 

Before a post-office was established at Fort Miller, the 
nearest post-office was at DuMont's Ferry, (Fort Miller 
bridge). The mail was carried on horse-back twice a 
week. 

Soon after the war of 1812, Stephen L. Viele came from 
Pittstown and built and kept a store on land now owned 
by Anna Galusha, just north of where Henry Wait's black- 
smith shop now stands. When the canal was dug Viele 
built the store now occupied by A. F. Nichols ; he moved his 
former store near the south side of the new one and used it 
for a storehouse; it was afterwards moved on to the ridge 
by or for Harry Cuvler, and now, after serving as a dwelling 
house, is still standing on the farm of Emmons Williams 
and is used as sort of a storehouse. Viele did business here 
until his death, October 26th, 1840. In 1821 he leased the 
waterpower of Bleeker^ for ten years; he was to build a dam 
and saw-mill and make certain improvements. Bleeker was 
to have the right to make other improvements and to have 
the use of as much water as was necessary. Viele was to 
pay 10 pepper corns a year for the first five years, and |75 
per year for the next five years. Under this lease Viele built 
a dam in connection wath the State, and a saw-mill, which 
was torn down when the State abandoned and tore out 
its dam in 1853 or 1854. He built a grist-mill, about 
1824 or 1825 for Bleeker, which burned in 1893. It stood 
between the present pulp and paper mills on the site of the 
Peebles saw-mill. This saw-mill was built by Garret Peeble, 
who got his title from Duer ; his was the second saw-mill; 



1 Barent and John R. Bleeker of Albany, were larg-e land owners in the vicinity of 
Fort Miller. 



118 The Fort Edward Book. 

Duer's being first, Viele's third, and one built by Hosea Nich- 
ols in 1865 being the fourth. The Viele mill stood where the 
Duer mill formerly was, and Nichols' mill where the 
pulp-mill now is ; these mills, and on the west side two saw- 
mills and a grist-mill, all got their power from the upper falls. 
There was at one time a grist-mill on each side of the river, 
and two saw-mills out in the river which got their power 
from the lower falls, but when the State built the dam at 
Saratoga falls, in 1821, it ruined the lower power with back 
water. The grist-mill on the east side belonged to Asha- 
bal^ Meacham. Some of the mill stones are now in the 
foundation of the present boiler-house at the paper mill. In 
the division between Bleeker and Meacham (they owned 
what lav west of the road from the creek near where Hunt's 
store now is, north to the Argyle road — in other words, to 
Benjamin Payne's southwest corner; this was the first 
farm north of the village), Bleeker took from the north side 
of the Reformed church to a little below the paper mill, 
Meacham taking the rest. Bleeker afterward bought what 
Meacham owned south of the church. Early in the 19th 
centurv Garret Viele came across the river and lived in a log 
house that stood just east of Duer's mill and a httle north- 
east of the pulp mill, another log house stood north-east of 
the Meacham grist-mill and a few^ rods south-east of the 
paper mill. The foundation of the chimney w^as still a heap 
of bricks and stone as late as 1863. t'revious to the build- 
ing of the canal more of the business was done below the 
falls, or in the lower part of the village, in order to shun the 
falls in rafting, but when the canal was built, that, in 
a measure, did away with running the falls, and so the 
business moved up street. The digging of the canal also did 
away with many of the taverns, as they were then called. 
Daniel Viele, father of Sheldon Viele, said he remembered the 



1 This name appears on preceding pag-es as "Ashabold", which we have learned since 
to be incorrect. 



Fort Miller. 119 

following: Daniel Payne kept an inn about a mile north of 
the village on the farm now owned by his grandson, Robert 
Payne. Mrs. Lamb, afterward Jakeway, kept at the north 
end of the village; Meacham, north of the Reformed church; 
Wm. Wilson, and afterward Alexander Sutherland, where 
the present hotel stands; Isaac Raymond at the town line; 
Smith, and afterward Bragg, at the mouth of Stony Kill; 
John Perrigo, and afterward James Bassett and George Jake- 
w^ay at the east end of Fort Miller bridge — ten taverns in a 
little over three miles ; these taverns and the stores all sold 
liquors. 

A large part of the business at that time was lumbering 
and rafting. The long timbers w^ere made into rafts and run 
down the river. The shorter logs were sawed into boards 
and rafted to market. The cordwood and staves were put 
on to rafts called float sticks. Lumbering, with the chopping 
and drawing of logs in the winter, furnished work for the in- 
habitants, and as soon as the snow failed the making of the 
rafts began, followed, when the ice was gone, by running 
the rafts to Albany w^here they were made up into larger 
rafts and sent to New York. It was not always profitable. 
Often the market was over-stocked. The men engaged in it 
were a tough, hard}' lot and able to endure a large amount 
of toil and hardship. A man who knew the channels 
and was a good pilot was in demand and made good 
w^ages. They would leave Fort Miller, or DuMont's Ferry, 
in the early morning and tie up their rafts in Albany that 
night ; then stay in Albany or Troy over night ; next morn- 
ing they would walk to Troy or Waterford for breakfast ; 
then walk to Fort Miller for a late dinner; after dinner 
get another raft ready for the next day, making the trip 
in two days. Among the men engaged in this business were 
Peltiah Harris, John, Jacob and David DeGarmo, Abel Pot- 
ter, Thomas Ellis, Sanford Case, Pasley Lang, Matthew 
and Wynant DeGarmo, Barnc}- Yiele, Garret Yiele and his 



120 The Fort Edward Book 

sons, Philip, Nicholas, Garret, Jr., and Barney, second; also 
his brothers, Wynant, John, Alexander, William, Volkert and 
Daniel, besides VanDerwerkers and VanDenBur^s innumer- 
able, and many more whose names are forgotten. Garret 
Viele and his son, Barney, have been known to walk from 
Albany to their home in the town of Moreau, 54 miles, in a 
day. 

Shad were plenty in those days. Daniel Viele said that 
he had known nine seines to be in use at one time between 
Fort Miller and Saratoga Falls, or DuMont's Ferry, a short 
three miles. The owners of the seines had one-half for the 
use of them, and the men doing the work had the other half, 
but when the Troy and Saratoga dams were built the shad 
stopped coming up the river. 

Considerable attention was paid to education, in those 
days. Besides the two schools at different times in the vil- 
lage, there were others outside; one known as the Crocker 
school house, at Crocker's Reefs, is now owned by Edward 
Newton; another stood against the hill, a short distance 
north of Levi P. Galusha's present home. It was after- 
ward moved to the Wm. G. Watson farm on the road to- 
ward Wm. E. Doig's, and occupied as a dwelling house; still 
another stood a short distance east of where S. D. Baker 
now lives, on lot No. 23, owned by Mr. McDougall. A school 
house was built at Fort Miller in 1832; it stood where H. 
L. Roger's barn now stands. L. S. Viele built it. Benjamin 
Ward was the first teacher there, and Jane Payne the last ; 
it was abandoned in 1871, when the present one was built. 
Another school house stood just north of the cemetery, and 
a Mr, Biglow kept the school ; David Carswell taught there 
after him, also later in a school house that stood a little 
south of A. F. Nichols' store. The foundation of the chim- 
ne\^ was removed in 1866. Carswell was a patriot and had 
been confined in a British prison. He said that he had 



Fort Miller. 121 

brought dispatches from Salem to Fort Miller, when he 
came through the woods on foot and found his way by 
blazed trees. Teaching in that early day was different from 
the present ; the testament was the text book and no fault 
found with it. The ferule was in common use. One boy, the 
son of a tavern keeper, used to get a whipping with it every 
day. He, in revenge, tried to burn the school house; that 
was the one that stood near A. F. Nichols' store. Taylor 
Lewis, afterward Professor Lewis, of Union College, was 
among the early scholars at the Payne school house. He 
afterward had an office a little south of the Reformed 
church, and practiced law, which he abandoned to become a 
teacher; his wife was Jane Payne, also a scholar, daughter 
of Daniel Payne. Samuel Lewis, father of Taylor, was a 
soldier in the Revolution. He died in 1822, aged 74 years. 

Amono- the early settlers on the farms was William 
Harper and his son-in-law, Goodwin ; they lived in a log 
house a short distance north of the house now owned and 
occupied by Mrs. J. H. Viele. A great-great-grandson of 
Harper's, William E. Doig, now owns part of the farm. A 
man by the name of Bissell lived in a house that stood where 
the rear barn on Mrs. Raymond Baker's farm stands; the 
house is a part of Mrs. J. H. Viele's residence. The barn 
used in connection is still standing on Mrs. Viele's farm. 

Benjamin Hamlin from Dutchess county, came to Fort 
Miller in 1809 and lived in the Bissell house; he afterwards 
lived in a house just south of the ruins of the Duer house; 
his son Jehial, who died in 1887, said that when his father 
moved there the ruins covered an acre of ground and 
that they burned up the trash and afterward picked up a 
cartbody full of nails. James Doig, a young Scotchman, 
also came in 1809. He married Betsy Goodwin and ac- 
quired the east half of Goodwin's and Harper's 200 acres. 
His grandson, WilHara E. Doig, now lives on and owns the 



122 The Fort Edward Book 

farm. James' son, William, died in December, 1900, in his 
79th year, and he said, a few months before his death, that 
he had never, in all his life, been off the farm for more than 
three weeks at a time. He served the town a number of 
years as assessor. 

Thomas Galusha, a Revolutionary soldier, came here 
in 1809 from Colerain. He had six sons — Samuel, Thomas, 
John, Reuben, Russell and William, and one daughter, Sally, 
who married Edward Bristol. Pasqua Whaley came in 
1812 from Rhode Island, and settled on part of lot No. 20, 
of Schuyler's Patent. The house stood on the premises now 
occupied by Henr^^ Taylor — the fourth one built on the 
place. The first two were log houses ; one stood a short dis- 
tance east of the present house, the other was nearer the 
present site of the house, but to the west and near the road. 
It has been gone about forty years. The two frame ones 
are still standing. Mr. McKibbon had a house and saw-mill 
on lot No. 21, a little south of Whaley 's. David Randall 
now owns the place. When the town of Argyle was divided 
into Argyle and Fort Edward, in 1818, Alexander Viele 
drove a four-horse team from Fort Miller to Argyle to carry 
voters, and when returning that night the bridge across 
Moses Kill, below McKibbon's saw-mill, was under water, 
and Samuel Potter took the forward team by the heads and 
lead them across. The da}^ had been very stormv. Ephriam 
Crocker is said to have stood in the street electioneering in 
favor of the division, until the rain water filled his boots; he 
had said that he would have the town divided if it cost him 
half what he was worth. Whale\^ had four sons — Stephen, 
who lived and died where S. D. Williams now lives; Thomas 
and Samuel and John, who all lived to be old men, died on 
the farm their father owned. Thomas had a son David liv- 
ing a short distance west. He says that Gideon Whaley was 
his grand-father's brother. Mary Colier, who is a sister-in- 



Fort Miller. 123 

law of John and Thomas, says he was his nephew. David 
also says that Pasqua's father, Samuel, came with him and 
lived in the log house east of the frame one, but afterward 
went back to Rhode Island. Pasqua's mother died here and 
is buried in the Hopkin's cemetery. Andrew Abercrombie, 
and his brother John, were Revolutionery soldiers, and 
came from Pelham. They are buried at Fort Miller. Aber- 
crombie had four children— Andrew, who died young; Mar- 
garet Wait, Mary Tubbs, and Sarah, who never married. 
Arthur Wait came from Vermont, it is said. John Aber- 
crombie never married. Jerry Tubbs lived on a lot north of 
his brother, Daniel, and latar moved to Lake George. Abner 
Tubbs lived west of where John Skelly's barn now is; he 
died in a house near the canal, April, 1865, eighty-five years 
old. Daniel Tubbs died January 13th, 1857, aged eighty 
years. He has a grand-son, Andrew Tubbs, living south of 
Stony Kill, in the town of Greenwich. Mrs. William 
Colier, who lives on the "ridge" is a daughter of Arthur 
Wait, and a grand-daughter of Andrew Abercrombie. 

There were two families of Paynes; Noah and 
Daniel. Daniel bought lot No. 2. He had at least three 
sons— Daniel who had forty acres of what is now Robert 
Payne's farm ; he was killed while drawing timber in North- 
umberland ; Moses, who lived where Andrew Chase now 
lives; Reuben, who lived where Frederick Folger now is, and 
a step-son, Mills, who lived in a log house a short distance 
west of Moses Payne's. James Robinson lived where Wm. 
G. Watson now resides; he and a family of W^heelers, who 
lived on the same farm, were relatives of Reuben Payne's 
family. Reuben Payne's wife was Johanna Swift. 

In 1817, Samuel T. Sheppard bought the Benjamin 
Payne farm where Mrs. P. E. Hatch now lives. He came 
from Argyle and lived nearly all the time till his death, 
March 30th, 1862, in or near Fort Miller. He was a law- 



124 The Fort Edward Book. 

yer by profession and served the town in different ways. 
He w^as justice of the peace a number of years. His young- 
est son, James, died in June, 1902, in sight of the place where 
he was born. Joshua Lake built the house now owned by 
Anna Galusha, early in the nineteenth century. 

Ralph Clark came from Argyle in 1826 and bought the 
Switzer place, and built a store across the road from Ben- 
nett's; he was here but a few years; his daughter, Eveline, 
was Vice President Colfax's first wife. Just across the line 
was Simeon Odell, and his brother John. Simeon was a 
great humorist. About a half mile south of the town line, 
John Perrigo built a house and kept tavern ; he sold it in 
1809 to James Bassett. The place is now owned by A. A. 
Hunt. Michael Phalon was the tailor for many years. 
Marcus Button was the hatter; his shop stood on the west 
side of the road, opposite where Clarence Sanders now lives; 
he afterwards moved it east of the village and it is now^ oc- 
cupied by his grandson, G. B. Button; he died November 
21st, 1872, aged 75 ; he was for some years a justice of the 
peace. 

Wait Sanders and Josiah Livermore were two 
Revolutionary soldiers, who lived near by in the town of 
Greenwich. Livermore was said to have been engaged in 
Shay's Rebellion. He came from Massachusetts soon 
afterward, or soon after the war, to DuMont's Ferry, and 
afterward to Fort Miller. Josiah Livermore has a grand- 
son, Josiah H. Livermore, now living in Greenwich, not 
far from the town line, and a great-grandson, John W. 
Livermore, in town. Mrs. James Baldwin (Esther Liver- 
more), of Fort Edward, is a granddaughter. His grand- 
son, Josiah H. Livermore, says that he sold his Massa- 
chusetts property and took his pay in Continental money, 
which, by the time he reached DuMont's Ferry, was worth- 
less. Wait Sanders lived just north of Nathan Ketchum's 
house. 



Fort Miller. 125 

Solomon Smith bought the island near the mouth of 
Stony Kill from the State, in 1803, for fifty dollars, but 
was to allow the mooring of rafts to it free of charge. 

Wynant Van Den Burg and his wife, Martha, with their 
two daughters, Katherine, (afterwards Mrs. Garret Van 
Den Burg, of Schaghticoke, N. Y.) and Mary, (afterwards 
wife of Philip G. Viele), slept on this island for six weeks 
before they left to go to Albany, fearing trouble from 
the Indians that were with Burgoyne. When the Water- 
ford and Whitehall turnpike was built, Jehial Hamlin 
and Leman Gray, graded and graveled five miles of it, from 
Daniel Payne's south line to near the present powder house. 
Hamlin also cleared and graded the most of the road in this 
town that leads to South Argyle. 

Shepherd Norcross, the carpenter who built the Re- 
formed church, and many other buildings of that dav, was 
an eastern man. Archie and Jesse Patrick were also among 
the early settlers, and kept a store opposite where G. T. 
Hunt now keeps. 

Among the early physicians was Dr. Lighthall from 
DuMont's Ferry. Afterward Dr. John Collins of North- 
umberland, was in great demand. One of the earliest, if not 
the very first to settle at Fort Aliller v^as Dr. John De 
Garmo; he had his office in the house now occupied bv Mrs. 
Oscar M. Bassett. John Bostwick was a physician here at 
least as early as 1822, and probably sometime before. Dr. 
Joseph Stewart was practicing here in 1828. Dr. Reuben 
Blawis came after Stewart left, in 1870. 

Many ot the names once common in this neighborhood, 
are now rarely seen; among them are those of Dove, Zebec, 
Wiley, Dunwoodv, Meacham, Glazier, Burlingame and Lake. 
Among the early comers was Arthur Wait, Abner Tubbs, 
Daniel Tubbs, Jerry Tubbs, Andrew Abercrombie and John 
Abercrombie; they came from Rhode Island. Daniel Tubbs 



126 The Fort Edward Book. 

and Arthur Wait married sisters, dauf^hters of Andrew Aber- 
crombie. Andrew Abercrombie and Daniel Tubbs lived on a 
farm now owned by Jessie Billings and occupied by Wm. 
Linindoll. 

The last of the Aborigines left here were "Peggie" and 
"Silas"; they lived in a hut on land now owned by Ralph 
Button. Another who used to travel about the country 
was called "Baucha." She was killed by the cars at Balls- 
ton. She once tried to hire James Doig to kill her son-in- 
law; she offered him a quart of rum. Doig, who was a total 
abstinence man, and no murderer, did not take the job. 

One of the excitements of the village was when the state 
dam was torn down. It caused a division in the Reformed 
church which closed that edifice for a number of j^ears. 
James Fuller, one of the deacons, said, "the church all went 
over the dam." When the trouble began, and for some 
time thereafter the main subject for conversation was "dam" 
and "anti-dam." 

Another excitement was during the cholera epidemic in 
1832. The cholera broke out among a number of Welsh emi- 
grants, who were passengers on a canal boat and were 
taken off at this place. They were placed in an old cooper- 
shop that stood near where Fred Lee now lives; nine of them 
died — four in one day. Four of the residents died during the 
epidemic. Th^ emigrants were taken to Green Island on a 
boat, by Peter and Barney Viele. Liquor was then the cure- 
all. Barney steared the boat. On the way south one 
woman was ver^^ sick in the cabin, so Barney to keep off the 
disease, had a jug of liquor in front of him, on the cabin deck, 
which he partook of freely. 

Among the societies existing here was the Sons of Tem- 
perance, revived in 1867 with G. W. Ingals as worthy patri- 
arch. Thev held meetings for about three years and a half. 



Fort Miller. 127 

There was at one time a lodge of Odd Fellows here, also a 
lodge of Good Templars. A public library was formed at an 
early day. Ephriam Crocker and Ashabal Meacham were 
among the incorporators. 



For the foregoing article we are indebted to Mr. Sheldon 
A. Viele, whose ancestors were among the pioneers that 
settled in Fort Miller, as the following biography shows: 

Viele — The first of their name to live in this town was 
Philip G. Viele, a blacksmith, sixth in descent from Cornelius 
Corhelison Viele, a French Hugonot, who fled from France 
to Holland, and thence to America, sometime in the middle 
or latter half of the 17th century. The eldest son, Arnot 
Cornelius, of this emigrant, acted as an interpreter between 
the Indians and the Livingston famiU^ in a land purchase in 
1683. Philip G. Viele was one of Garret Viele's two sons; 
the other, Andrew, was in the American army at West Point 
at the time Arnold turned traitor; he was at Fort Miller in 
1809, but it is not known what became of him. Garret, 
father of Philip and Andrew, was baptized in the First Re- 
formed Church of Kingston, in 1710; his wife was Kather- 
ine Bratt. Philip's first wife was Maria Bratt ; they were 
living in Schaghticoke at the time of the Revolution. After 
the war, and after the death of his first wife, Philip went to 
Northumberland and on January 21st, 1787, married Mary 
Van Den Burg, daughter of Wynant and Martha Van Den 
Burg. He had seven children by his first w^ife, three dj'ing in 
infancy; one, Philip, Jr., dying at seventeen; two, Barney 
and Garret, lived to be old men. Barney married Sarah 
Putnam. A great-grandson of his, Fred C. Viele, keeps a 
drug store at Glens Falls. Garret married Susan Van Den 
Burg; they had ten sons and one daughter — Mrs. Archibald 
Stanton. Two of the sons, Johnson and Truman, are now 



128 The Fort Edward Book. 

living. Philip G. had one daughter by his first wife; her 
name was Katherine, and she married Asa Daniels. Bj the 
second wife he had seven children — Wynant, John, Mary, Al- 
exander, William, Volkert and Daniel. The daughter died 
when a child; Volkert was drowned October, 1832; Wil- 
liam died at Ballston in 1845; Wj'nant died at Gansevoort 
in 1856; John at Glens Falls in 1846; Alexander at Fort 
Miller in 1867; Daniel at Fort Miller, November 3d, 
1880. Philip G. Viele at one time had a shop on the west 
side of the river, opposite Fort Miller, near the lower falls. 
He removed to the east side (Fort Miller) in September, 
1806, and worked in a shop across the road from Ray- 
mond's Tavern, at the town line. He died May 31st, 1807. 
Plis name is mentioned as being in Ouackenbush's regiment 
at Bemis Heights. When he came to the east side of the 
river there was but a half acre of land cleared where he set- 
tled, a short distance below the falls. He secured from Mr. 
Bleeker a life lease of all the land he might clear, and soon 
after he died Bleeker gave the widow a life lease for fifty 
cents a vear, if he should call for it, which he never did. 
Mrs. Viele died April 10, 1853, in her 91st year. After her 
death, her son, Daniel, purchased the home, and it is now 
owned by his son, Sheldon A. Viele, who is the only one of 
Philip's descendents now living in the town. William C. 
Viele, a grandson of William Viele, lives at Sandy Hill. At 
one time, about 1827 or 1828, there Were fifteen voters in 
the town by the name of Viele; there is now but one. The 
rest of Philip's descendants are widely scattered over differ- 
ent sections of the United States. Philip G. Viele came from 
Livingston Manor, Dutchess county; he was born Septem- 
ber 15th, 1747. 

Soon after the war of 1812 Stephen L. Viele (a distant 
relative, but not a descendant of Philip G. ) came to Fort 
Miller from Pittstown, Rensselaer county; he served as 
a captain at the time that the call came for men to go 



Col. William Duer. 129 

to Plattsburgh, in 1814. Becoming disgusted with the 
dilatory movements of the regimental officers he hired teams 
to transport his company ; they reached Granville and there 
met the men returning with the good news of an American 
victory. His onh' son, Stephen, is now living at Dayton, O. 
He had six daughters — Maria, unmarried; Jane (Mrs. 
George Sturdevant); Harriet (Mrs. Sidney Sutfin); Lucy 
(Mrs. John Thompson of New York); Laura (Mrs. Archi- 
bald Hubbard of Brooklyn); Caroline! Mrs. William Ostram 
of Watervhet). The three first named are buried at Fort 
Miller. His wife was Laura Stearns; her father kept the 
upper tavern after Mrs. Lamb married George Jakeway. 
Soon after Stephen came, his brother, Simon, came from 
Pittstown. He bought 320 acres of land here, part of which 
is now owned by the widow of his grandson, Mrs. J. H. 
Viele. Simon had four sons — Lodowicus S., Piatt C, John 
C. and Hiram. Lodowicus did business with his uncle, 
Stephen, for many years. His wife was Leville Stearns, sis- 
ter of Stephen's wife. Stephen and Lodowicus both were 
members of the legislature. The only representatives of 
this family in town are the widow of J. H. (son of John C.) 
Viele, and three children. Mrs. George Washburn of North- 
umberland, is a daughter of Piatt C. Simon Viele's wnfe 
was Jane Carpenter. Simon and Stephen had a brother, 
Charles, unmarried. Their father's name was Lodowicus 
and their mother's name was Effie Toll, a descendant of Carl 
Hanson Toll, a Norwegian settler of the colony. 



Col. William Duer, prominently mentioned in the early 
part of this chapter, was born -March 18th, 1747, in Devon- 
shire, England. He was educated at Eton, entered the 
army and saw service in India, and came to this country in 
1768, bringing letters to Lord Sterling and General Philip 



130 The Fort Edward Book. 

Schiiyler. Upon Schu\'ler's recoinmendation lie purchased 
land in the vicinity of Fort Miller, including the falls at that 
place, where he built a saw-mill and afterwards a large grist- 
mill, and at the breaking out of the Revolutionary war he 
erected a powder mill. About 1770 he constructed a man- 
sion at Fort Miller. It stood in front of the bluff rising 
from the Hudson river, and was fift^^-tvvo feet square, two 
stories high ; the lower story being eleven feet and the upper 
one ten feet in height, with a high basement, in which was 
the kitchen and other rooms. There was a wide hall 
through the centre of the house upon each floor, with two 
large square rooms on either side and the staircase on one 
side of the lower hall, which is said to have been elegantly 
finished. The windows on the upper story were all bow 
windows. The roof was nearly flat, built in four triangles, 
running each wa}'. The house faced toward the west and 
on the rear, or east side, was a wide, two story veranda, 
the entire length of the house. On each end was a wing, 
twent^'-two feet square and one and one-half stories high. 
The frame of the house was of heavy oak timber, the walls 
being lined with two-inch plank and filled in with brick, over 
which was lathing and plastering. The windows were all 
hung with chains and leaden weights. The main part had 
a cornice carved all around. This building was finished and 
occupied b\' Col. Duer before the Revolution, and during the 
Revolution was occupied by General Burgoyne, and many 
British papers and letters were dated at the "Duers House." 
The building was taken down in 1810 and the material 
was used in the erection of buildings in the village. A hotel, 
saw-mill and several dwellings contain much of the material 
taken from this house. 

Col. Duer, in 1772, was one of the commissioners of high- 
ways for the county of Charlotte, and one of his associates 
was Col. Philip Skene. In 1773, he was appointed Associ- 
ate Judge for the County of Charlotte, with Col. Schuyler. 



First Term of Court. 131 

Judge Duer opetied and held the term of court at Fort Ed- 
ward on the 19th day of October, 1773, being the first term 
of the court held at Fort Edward. Archibald Campbell was 
foreman of the grand jury. The assistant judges were Pat- 
rick Smyth of Fort Edward, who was afterward county 
clerk of this county; Ebenezer Clark, ^ Jacob Marsh, Ben- 
jamin Spencer and Alexander McNaughton. The subse- 
quent terms of court were held b\^ Judge Schuyler until the 
21st of March, 1785, when Judge Duer again presided. This 
was, perhaps, the most tumultuous court ever held within 
Washington county and it is spoken of, in some of the early 
records, as "the Fort Edward mob." Such was the vio- 
lence displaj'cd b}^ the angr}'' crowd assembled that it was 
thought it would be necessary to adjourn the court. This 
term of court was only eight days later than the term held 
at Westminster, in Cumberland county, as it was then 
called, (now Vermont,) where William French was killed. 
Judge Duer, however, was equal to the occasion, and pre- 
sided with such dignity and firmness that he was able to 
dispatch the ordinary business of the court without the oc- 
currence of any serious violence. 

Judge Duer was the first subscriber to the Association of 
the Patriots ot Charlotte County, in the town of Argyle. 
He was appointed Deputy Adjutant General by the Provin- 
cial Congress of New York on July 27th, 1775. In 1776 he 
was elected one of the delegates to the Provincial Congress 
of New York, and was one of the committee to prepare a 
Constitution for the State of New York, and in 1777, was 
appointed first judge of the County of Charlotte; was after- 
wards elected senator. He married Catherine Alexander, a 
daughter of William Alexander, Titular Earl of Sterling, 
and his wife is familiarly called "Lady Kitty." Col. Duer 
was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under Alexander 



1 Ebenezer Clark was the son of Dr. Clark of Salem, and the father of Ralph Clark of 
Fort Miller. 



132 The Fort Edward Book. 

Hamilton. Col. Duer, with his family, for a number of 
years resided in his mansion at Fort Miller, and it was there 
that the celebrated John Lovett, one of the early lawyers of 
this county, acquired his profession, acting as a tutor for the 
children of Col. Duer and as his a^ent in the management of 
his large estate. Subsequently the family moved to New 
York, Mr. Lovett remaining behind to care for the property 
and occupying the mansion as a residence and law office. 
Col. Duer died on the 7th day of July, 1790, survived by 
eight children. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

TAXATION AND ASSESSMENTS, INCLUDING SOME OF THE PRIN- 
CIPAL TAXPAYERS IN THE EARLY DAYS.— SUPERVISORS' 
UNIQUE RECORDS. 

The earliest assessment roll preserved in the town clerk's 
office is for the year 1820, by which roll it appears that there 
was at that time in this town, 161 resident taxpayers and 
eight non-resident taxpayers. Forty-six of the resident 
taxpayers were assessed for personal property. William 
Finn was the largest land-owner in town at that time. He 
was assessed for 4738 acres of land and his personal assess- 
ment was for |;3,000. The land throughout the town was 
assessed at the uniform rate of $1.00 per acre, and Mr. Finn 
was therefore assessed for $7,738, upon which assessment 
he paid a tax of |30.56. He was not only the largest land- 
owner, but he was also the largest taxpayer in town. 

In 1826 the town raised for the support of the poor, 
$150; for town expenses, $199.85; for the support of com- 
mon schools, $95.04; for county tax, |352.22, and for the 
collector's fee on school tax, $4.75, making a total levy in 
town of $801.86. The next year the levy was something 
less, being only f 743.22. 

In 1830 the aggregate valuation of the resident tax- 
payers was $177,630. This valuation was reduced four per 
cent, by the Board of Supervisors, and Ira Parmely, Super- 
visors' clerk, certified that "there is to be levied in Fort Ed- 
ward this year (1830) for town expenses, $133.13; for the 
support of common schools, $101.58; for county tax, 



134 The Fort Edward Book. 

$622-40; for collector's fees on school tax, |5.08, a total of 
$862.19." 

In 1831 the total assessed acreage was 15,733. The 
valuation of the real estate was $163,482; the personal as- 
sessment was $16,409; the aggregate valuation $179,891; 
and the total tax was |515.92. 

In 1832 the aggregate valuation was $195,409, and the 
aggregate tax this year was $830.56; the amount being 
somewhat larger than usual because of the fact that $200 
was raised for bridges. 

The amount raised by tax and the purposes for which 
the same was raised, between 1834 and 1838, both in- 
clusive, appears in the following table : 

1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 

County tax $440.87 $422.64 $468.88 $496.20 $489.74 

Town expenses... 119.75 127.96 144.13 144.31 148.35 

School tax 94.61 94.61 90.29 90.29 225.72 

Col. fees, sch'l tax 4.73 4.73 4.51 4.51 11.28 

Bridges 100.00 100.00 150.00 150.00 

Rejected tax 1.26 .... .... .... 

Interest on same .08 .... .... .... 

Total $759.96 $651.28 $807.81 $885.31 $1025.09 

In 1842 the amount of tax raised in town had risen to 
$1,256.97, and during the next decade it rose to $1,991.19 
in 1852, and in 1854 it was $3,034.93. 

Barent Bleeker and John R. Bleeker of Albany, in 1820, 
were the owners of numerous lots of land in Schuyler's Pat- 
ent in the vicinity of where is now Fort Miller, including 
what was called the "mill seat on the upper falls." Philip 
Schuyler was also the owner of various lots of land in the 
vicinit}^ of F'ort Miller at that time. 

Among those who were assessed for |1,000, or more. 



Taxpayers of Early Days. 135 

upon real estate, were the following. The year which fol- 
lows the name is that in which the name first appears, or 
when the assessment first amounted to $1,000: 



Year 

Albert Baker 1820 

John Bevoort, Jr 

Sanford Case 

Ephriam Crocker 

John Crocker 

Jaspar Deuel 

Asa Eddy 

Timoth\^ Eddy 

John Ellis, Jr 

Solomon Emmons 

George Ford 

Edward Fullerton 

John and Reuben Galusha " 

Thomas and Samuel Galusha. 

Benjamin Hamlin 

Henry Hanaman 

Martin Hopkins 

Margaret Jakeway 

Ashabel Meacham 

Jos. Howe and Stephen Mead " 

John Miller " 

Joseph Miller 

John McDougall 

Duncan Mclntyre 

Francis McMurray 

John Montgomery 

Nathan Alunrow 

Daniel Payne 

John Peterson, Jr 

Samuel Reynolds 



Acres 


Valua'n 


1,824 


$2,097 


1,416 


1,416 




1,184 




3,056 




1,335 




1,590 


2,208 


2,208 


1,632 


1,632 


1,152 


1,152 


1,632 


1,632 


1,056 


1,056 


2,880 


2,880 


2,621 


2,621 


1,344 


1,344 


1,920 


1,920 


1,459 


1,459 


1,440 


1,440 


1,066 


1,066 


2,498 


2,498 


2,285 


2,348 




1,000 


1,920 


2,100 


1,498 


1,668 


691 


1,037 


1,382 


1,382 


1,152 


1,152 


1,040 


1,223 


2,184 


2,184 


1,459 


1,459 


1,296 


1,356 



136 The Fort Edward Book. 

Year Acres Valua'n 

James Robinson 1820 1,339 $1,339 

Walter Rogers " 1.920 2,106 

JohnS. Squier " 1,306 1.306 

Pasqua Whaley " 1.382 1,382 

Daniel W. Wing " 2,592 2.592 

Daniel W. Wing & Asa Eddy.. " 861 2,364 

Joseph Wright " 2,184 2,184 

Barent and John Bleeker 1826 35 4,136 

Sanford Case & H. Emmons.. " 150 1,034 

William Goodwin " 244 1.645 

Jacob Hogaboom " 160 1,128 

Samuel Houston " 184 1,175 

Abel Potter " 350 2,350 

Abijah E. Smith " 1 1.692 

John C. Stewart " 113 1.500 

Resley Taylor " 1 1.400 

Simon Lodowicus Viele " 4 1,081 

Eddy, Martin & Wheeler " 4 2,820 

John Mclntyre & Bibbins 1829 125 1,200 

JohnMcMurray " 100 1,060 

Jacob Pike " 150 1,200 

Alexander Robertson " 290 1,534 

John Stewart " 155 1,700 

Piatt Viele " 320 2,850 

Stephen Viele, saw-mill lot " 4 3.500 

John R. Bleeker 1830 30 3.360 

Lavina Case " 150 1,056 

Russell W.Pratt " 1 1.221 

Chauncey Fort & Morris 1831 150 1,555 

John Mclntyre & Harper " 143 1,387 

John Robertson Mclntyre " 125 1,045 

Thomas Coverdale ' 1832 176 1,524 

Sally Payne " 265 3,325 



Taxpayers of Early Days. 



137 



Year Acres Valua'n 

Ira Whipple 1832 150 $1,200 

Archibald and Wm. Gilchrist. 1833 152 1,751 

Rev. Joseph Parry " 1 2,800 

Elizabeth Ford 1834 1.400 

Georo^e Hall " 2,200 2,360 

Company Mill " % 2,790 

John McDougall " 190 1,800 

E. D. Pratt & Cook, (tavern) " lot 1,150 

John Shaw " 116 1,005 

James Stevenson " 200 1,000 

Joseph Stewart " 285 3,500 

Richard Warren " 150 1,200 

Calvin Y. R. Woodworth " 335 2.700 

Fort Edward Bridge Co 1835 stock 3,224 

GaUisha G. Bradley " 165 1,080 

Joseph Utter " 150 1.305 

Nelson Buck 1836 150 1,500 

Payne & Rowland " 200 2,200 

Gotham Pike " 159 1,200 

John Mclntyre 1837 lot 1,100 

(Schoolhouse lot) " 145 1,100 

William DeWitt McLean " 150 1,450 

Merritt & Warren Sprague.... " 113 1,800 

Barent and John R. Bleeker....l838 4 1.500 

Taylor, Payne & Howland.... " 200 2,000 

Hosea Nichols " 10 1,200 

WilHam A. Rozell 1839 150 1,200 

Arod Sprague " 111 1,115 

James Stott " 100 1,000 

H. & D. Baker 1842 213 1,900 

George E. Cuyler " 170 1,360 

Seth and Elias Durkee " grocery 1,000 

Elliot Higley " 150 1,125 

Martha Miller " 173 1,384 



138 The Fort Edward Book. 

Year Acres Valua'n 

James Stevenson Jr 1842 200 $1,600 

Daniel Baker 1843 213 1,704 

Merchant Hall " 170 1,190 

Thomas Hopkins " 127 1,016 

Rowley Beach 1848 100 1,000 

Rebecca Bradt " 166 1,000 

Bradley & Underwood " 1 1,700 

Bristol & Galusha " 360 2,100 

H'ds'nRv'rIr'n& Mchn. Co. " 2 3,000 

John W. Miller " 180 1,300 

Joseph & David Miller " 180 1,300 

David Roberts " 113 1,000 

Winfield Sherwood, saw mill. " lot 1,500 

Daniel P. Walker " 332 2,350 

Robert and William Allen 1849 % 1,600 

Jonathan S. Beach (saw-mill). " 1,600 

Samuel Mott " 215 1,200 

Amos Smith " 332 2,350 

William Allen 1850 1,000 

David Underwood " lot 2,300 

Saratoga & Washington R.R. " 13,050 

John and Samuel Whaley " 172 1,330 

Bank of Fort Edward 1852 101,093 

Merchant Bradt " 157 3,173 

Samuel Buck " 159 3,159 

Alfred Case " 60 1,000 

Cyrus G. Smith " lot 1,200 

Cheesman & Hodgman " store 1,300 

Elisha Ferris " 86 1,950 

George Harvey " 70 2,500 

S. M. Howdand " y2 1,000 

Sherbal Lyons " 80 1,800 

Calvin Metcalf " 85 1,600 

Alexander McDougall *' 60 1,200 



Supervisors' Proceedings, 1785. 139 

Year Acres Valua'n. 

Daniel McQuarrie 1852 141 $3,000 

Ebenezer Qua " 1 2,500 

William D. Shaw ^' 80 1,500 

Alexander S. Kelly " lv50 2,100 

Merritt Williams " 78 1,500 

Babcock & Lee 1854 1/2 1.000 

DeGarmo, Nichols & Co " 2 1,400 

t^t. Edward and Argyle road. " 3,600 

Ft. Edward Paper Mill Co.... " 15,000 

Reuben Gamble " personal 1,000 

Harvey, Potter & Co " lumber yd. 1,500 

Hodgman, Wing & Lee " ¥2 3,250 

Jeremiah Jepson " 21 2,243 

Stephen B.Lee " V2 1,400 

Sam. Lewis (N. Payne farm). " 90 2,000 

Smith & Hubbell " 1 1,100 

S.R.Potter " 1 1,000 

Andrew Wait " 109 1,809 

Daniel W. Wing " V2 4,500 

While engaged in the preparation of the foregoing arti- 
cle there came to the hands of the author a manuscript copy 
of the proceedings of the Board of Supervisors for the county 
of W^ashington for the years 1785 and 1786. These proceed- 
ings, while they may be regarded by some as foreign to this 
work, are, nevertheless, of so interesting a nature that it 
seems as if the record should be perpetuated, and as it has 
some local interest, the record is given below. For this the 
author is indebted to the kindness of Mr. Asahel R. Wing, 
whose valuable and interesting collection of manuscripts 
has been kindly placed at his disposal:^ 



1 In printing the proceedings we have endeavored to follow the original manuscript 
as near as possible, both as to spelling and capitalization. 



140 The Fort Edward Book. 

Friday, the 14th January, A 1785, Whitcrick.i 

met agreabel to apointnient 

members present 

Lemuel Mech^ (Mede) greenfield^ 
Daniel Pain, fort Edward* 
Capt. Seelye^ Queensbury 
Duncan Mcarty^ ] 
Capt. Tearse^ }>Arguil^ 

Capt. Battey9 j 



1 Salem was called White Creek at this time and this meeting- was doubtless held there. 

2 This may be and probablj' is intended for Lemuel Hyde. The MSS is indistinct. 
No trace can be found of any one by the name of Mech or Mede, in Greenfield at this time. 

3 This is what is now Hampton. It was org-anized by an act of the Legislature 
March 3d, 1786 ; before that it was called Greenfield. 

4 Fort Edward was not organized as a town until April lUth, 1818. In 1785 it was 
called the Fort Edward District, but was a part of Argyle. 

5 Capt. Seelye— This was Nehemiah Seelye. In 1783-4-5-6 there were two super- 
visors elected in the district of Queensbury. Abraham Wing was the other supervisor in 
1785. Seelye was assessor in Queensbury in 1772-3-5 to 1779, inclusive. He was overseer of 
the poor of that town from 1775 to 1778. Collector, 1783 and 1784. Fence viewer, 1772, 1773, 
1775, and 1778. He was one of the early settlers of Kingsbury, and one of the original mem- 
bers of the Masonic Lodge of Fort Edward in 1787. He was second lieutenant in Capt. Asa 
Richardson's Company from the Kingsbury District. In Col. John Williams Dorset Regi- 
ment, Charlotte County Militia, 1775, he was a Captain, 1778. 

6 Duncan McArthur was one of the original grantees of the Argyle Patent, and drew 
lot No. 44, of 450 acres. He was one of the Campbell immigrants. He settled in Argyle in 
1765. He was a brother-in-law of James and Alexander Campbell. His daughter, Mar- 
garet, married John Reid. His son was Deacon John Reid. Duncan McArthur was one of 
the supervisors of Argyle in 1784, and apparently in 1785, although his name does not ap- 
pear in the town records as such for that year. He was one of the three supervisors in 1786. 
He died in 1813, aged 84 years. He was a soldier in the Revolution, a private in Col. Fred 
Fisher's Third Tryon County Regiment, Capt. Little's Company. 

7 Major Peter B. Tearse was born about 1753. Was adjutant in Col. Goose van 
Schaick's Albany Regiment. He saw service at Fort Edward and Fort Stanwix. He 
built the house in Fort Edward where Dr. R. A. Linindoll now (1897) resides. He married 
Mary Hunter, a granddaughter of Mrs. McNeil, of Jane McCrea fame. After the Revolu- 
tion he lived in Fort Edward for a time, then removed to Queensbury, where he held numer- 
ous town offices ; thence he removed to Lake George, thence to Ballston, where he died in 
1802. He was one of the assistant judges of Washington County, and was appointed sheriff 
of Washington County, Februarj' 24th, 1789. Member of Assembly from 1786 to 1789, inclu. 
sive. Appointed one of the justices of the peace for this county, January 23d, 1786. A mem- 
ber of the Masonic Lodge here in 1787. His daughter, Mary, mairried William Finn, of Fort 
Edward. Peter T. Finn, married Mary Cozzens, of Easton. Elizabeth, his (Fmn's) 
daughter, married Hon. George Scott, of Fort Edward, 

8 Aru-yle was organized as a town by the original Patent in 1764, but not by the State 
government until 1786. The first town meeting was in 1771. It then included the present 
town of Fort Edward and a part of Greenwich and Salem. 

9 James Beatty appears to have been one of the three supervisors from Argyle in 



Supervisors' Proceedings, 1785. 141 

Capt. Sherwood^*^ Kingsbury^^ 

Moses Martini-^ j 

1st voted Capt Sherwood Moderator 

2d voted Esq. Martin, Clark 

3d voted that Sarah Brown and her two children bee 
suported by the destreckt of fort Edward or s^^ destrickt 

shall Remove them to their place of abode or former of 

residence. 



1783. The other two were John McNaug-hton and Peter B. Tearse. In 1784, his associate 
was Duncan McArthur. In 1785 he appears to have been sole supervisor, and he was one of 
the three ag-ain in 1786, the others being- Duncan McArthur and John McKnight. 

10 Capt. Seth Sherwood was supervisor of Kingsburj' in 1782, 1786, and 1788. He was 
quartermaster of the Charlotte County Regiment. A lieutenant of the forces raised for the 
defense of the frontier, June 16th, 1780, and from October 10th, 1780, to November 11th, 1782, 
he was captain of a company of Exempts in Col. Webster's Charlotte County Regiment. 
Kingsbury was then thickly settled with Tories;. Capt. Sherwood suffered severe losses, 
(over §10,000 of property) during the Revolution, and received no compensation therefor. He 
seems to have been a sterling patriot. He was an early settler in Fort Edward and a mem- 
ber of the Fort Edward Masonic Lodge in 1787. 

11 Kingsbury was organized as a township by Royal Patent, Mas' Hth, 1762. Its 
limits have remained unchanged. The town was recognized by the State government, 
March 23d, 1786. 

12 Edward Savage lived in Salem, and at this time, doubtless, the White Creek Dis- 
trict embraced the town of Salem. This conjecture is strengthened by the fact that when 
the tax was extended, no tax is assessed to Salem. The next year a tax is levied upon 
Salem and the White Creek quota drops out. Edward Savage was the son of John Savage, 
of Pelham, Mass. Edward had a brother James; both settled in Salem. Edward had one 
son, John, who was Comptroller of the State in 1821— 23, and Chief Justice of this State in 
1823-37. Edward was member of the Council of Appointment in 17'J0, 1802, 1807. He was 
supervisor in 1801, 1802, 1803. A member of the Constitutional Convention in 1801. Presi- 
dential Elector in 1824. Surrogate in 1783-87, and 1810-13. Sheriff in 1777-78. State Senator 
in 1788 for four years, and in 1801 for six years. Member of Assembly in 1784-S-7-9, and 1795 
to 1801, inclusive. He was second lieutenant in Capt. Eben'r Clark's Company of Dr. John 
Williams' Regiment of Charlotte County Militia, known as the Dorset Regiment. He was 
an elder in the Presbyterian Church from 1789 to 1833. 

13 Moses Martin seems to have settled in Salem before the Revolution. He was a 
brother of Col. Adam Martin of Stockbridge, Mass., who came to Salem after the Revolu- 
tion. Adam was assistant supervisor of Salem in 1782. Moses was an adjutant in Col. John 
Williams' Regiment of Militia of Charlotte County, and flrst lieutenant in Joseph McCrack- 
en's Charlotte County Company, of Col. Goose van Schaick's Second Regiment New York 
Continentals, 1775, and as appears from the above, was the first clerk cf the Board of Super- 
visors of Washington County m 1785, and also for the next year, 1786. He was justice of the 
peace in 1786, 1789, 1792, 1795. and 1818. Adam Martin was Member of Assembly in 1787, 
and justice of the peace for many years. He removed to Martinsburgh, Lewis County, N. 
Y., and became prominent there. Moses Martin was a member of the Masonic Lodge at 
Fort Edward in 1787. 



142 The Fort Edward Book. 

4th Unanimush^ voted that the supervisors of the dif- 
frant destricts shall lay a tax on a Differant Collom from 
the County Tax and shall pay their supervisors, assesors 
and other contigent charges arising in his or their Destrict 
ought of the monies arising from s^ Tax. 

5th voted that Mr. Durkee's bill bee aloued £25-9-0 for 
takino- of a sick indion named Thomas Abner — that s^^ bill 
is Considered as a County Charge. 

6th voted that Capt Seth Sherwood act be alloud 
£10-3-4 it being a note given to Colon webster by him and 
a nomber of Committe men A 1775. 

7th voted that their shall be a Tax Laid on the County 
for the sum of £120 for to defray the Contiegent Charges of 
the County, such as wolves and the like. 

8th voted that the place known by the name of Fort 
ann^ be a Destrict agreabel to the Potision signd by Isaiah 
Bennit, Destrict Clark. 

9th voted that the Differant Cotoes of the £120 shall 
be as follows : 

Whit Crick Destrict, £37 

Black Crick2 do 20 

Granvel" do 18 

Greenfield do 2 



1 Fort Ann was organized as a town, March 23d, 1786, undet the name of Westfield. 
It then included Hartford, Putnam, and Dresden. Hartford was set off in 1793. Putnam, 
including- Dresden, was setoff 1800. Isaiah Bennett was in January, 1781, elected super- 
visor and town clerk at a meeting- of the "inhabitants of the Artillery and Provincial 
Patents." He was town clerk in 1784. These were the days of the Hampshire Grants, 
and town governments were a little informal, sometimes. 

1 The Black Creek District embraced what is now known as the town of Hebron. 
This District was organized as the town of Hebron in 1786. 

3 Granville was organized as a town in 1786. It was the District of Granville before 
that. The District was in hearty sympathy with the Hampshire Grants in the early 
years of that controversy. Some of the early settlers bought lands of Lydius, the son of the 
Dutch Minister of Albany. 



Supervisors' Proceedings, 1786. 143 

Skeensborougli^ do 11 

Fort ann do 2 

Kingsbur}^ do 9 

Queensbury do 5 

Fort Edward do 4 

Arguil ■ do 12 

10th voted that Each DifFerant Destrict shall Notefy 
their assesors forthwith to asses their respective Destricts 
and that the above tax be paid ( Here two lines are illegible). 

For Queensbury Destrict. 

MOSES MARTIN, Supr. Clark. 



At a meeting of the Supervisors of the County of Wash- 
ington, held at the house of Dr. John Williams- at Salom 
on the secont tusday, that is to sa}^ on the ninth dav of 
may, 1786, persuant to an act of the legislature of this 
State, Entitled an act for reasing the sum of 200,000 in Bils 
of Credit for the pupose therein mensiond, pased the 18 
day of April, 1786. 



1 Skeensboroug-h was erected into a township by the Patent, to Philip Skeen in 1765. 
The first town meeting- was in 1778. The name was changed to Whitehall in 1786. Skeen's 
Patent included a tract of 25,000 acres. Eventually, Col. Dr. John Williams became the 
owner of the whole of it by purchase growing out of the confiscating sales following the 
Revolution. 

2 This was the house of Col. Dr. John Williams, still standing in Salem village 
(Salem book, page 192). He was perhaps the ver3' foremost man of his day and generation 
in this part of the state. An Englishman by birth, he was an ardent supporter of the pa- 
triot cause during the Revolution. He was a man of fine presence and of great personal and 
political influence. He was the ancestor of the Williams family in Salem. Many of his de- 
scendents have become distinguished in various spheres of activity, and all, so far as the 



144 The Fort Edward Book. 

the supervisors from the several townships of the county 
apeared as folows: 

Adam Martin for Salom 

Alexd. Webster^ Hebron 



writer is informed, have been respected and honored members of the communitj' in which 
they lived. Dr. Williams was born in Barnstable, England, in 1752, and died in Salem in 
18—. He settled in Salem in 1773 and was a member from Charlotte Count}' of the first 
Provincial Congress (Assembly) of New York, which met in New York city May 23, 1775 
(Lossing's Empire State, pag-e 216). February 19, 1776, he was appointed Colonel of the 
Dorset Regiment of Charlotte County Militia, which office he held until June 25, 1778. He 
was a surgeon in the New York Continental service, a member of the Council of Appoint- 
ment in 1789 ; a Regent of the University in 1784 ; Member of Congress, 1795 to 1799 ; State 
Senator from 1783 to 1795, inclusive ; Member of Assembly, 1781-82. He was a member of the 
convention which ratified the federal constitution. Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, be- 
sides being often supervisor of his town and holding other minor offices. During the Revo- 
lution large tracts of land belonging to the Royalists were confiscated and sold. At these 
sales Col. Williams was a large buyer and thus became the owner of immense tracts of 
land in this county. The following letter written by him to Abraham Wing of Queensbury, 
while Col. Williams was in Congress, has not heretofore been published. Mr. Wing had 
been a sufferer from the depredations of the Continental Arm}' during the Burgoyne inva- 
sion and was seeking compensation for propertj' taken by General Schuyler. Besides the 
local interest the letter is interesting as showing the condition of the county at that time : 

"New York, 9th January, 1791. 

"Sir : — I expected to have seen 3'ou before I left home on account of the papers of yours 
in my hands. From what I have been able to collect, your relief (if any) must come from 
Congress. If you think proper to intrust me with your name I can forward the papers 
with my observations to my Friends in Congress. Of this you will please inform me. In 
the meantime I shall take care that no Opportunit}' be lost if anything can be done here 
for you. 

"I have the pleasure to inform 3'ovi that our Treasury is rich. There is now ^81,000 
cash in it, and bj' the first January, 1793, there will come into it ^300,000 from the sale of 
waste lands. Exclusive of this, vve have a principle of Certificates, the interest of which 
will amount to 55,000 Dollars annually, and Deferred Stock after 1801, ;^44,000. Add to this 
our bank stock, duties on vendues, &c., which will amount to a large sum. 

"We made a House cm Tuesday last. The Governor's speech is much in our favor re- 
specting Canals, and I hope we shall proceed therein with spirit. 

"Please give my respect to your family and friends and make known the state of our 
Treasury to all, and believe that I am your and their friend. 

"JOHN WILLIAMS. 
"Abraham Wing and Gent, of Queensbury." 



3 Alexander Webster was supervisor of Hebron, formerly the Black Creek District, 
in 1786-87-90-91-92; a member of the Council of Appointment in 1777-79-81-84-91, and of the 
Provincial Legislature in 1776-77; State Senator in 1777 for two terms of four years each ; 
Member of Assembly in 1788-89; Justice of the Peace in 1773-86-89-92-95-98. He was second 
major of Col. Williams' Charlotte County Regiment b}' appointment of the Provincial Con- 
gress on the 19th of February. 1776. He was captain of the Black Creek District Company 
and Lieutenant Colonel, April 4th, 1778, and Colonel, March 4th, 1780; resigned March 29th, 
1781. A gentleman of high repute and standing. The following letter, so quaint in terms, 
so full of human nature, alike in all ages, affording, as it does, so interesting an insight with 
the political history of the past, is now for the first time published. It was written by Col. 



Supervisors' Proceedings, 1786. 145 

Joseph Colwell* Kingsbury 

James Batty arguil 

' DanilEirls^ Whit hall 

Danil Curtis^ granvel 

John Buck^ Westfield 

Phinehas Babcock^ Queensbury 
Alex"^ Webster, moderator 
Moses Martin, Esq., Supervisors' Clark 

Edward Savig and moses martin, Esqs., Lone offisers 



Webster to Abraham Wing-, a Quaker, and one of the first settfers in what is now Glens 
Falls, N. Y. 

"Friend Wing-. 

"I understand that the ensuing Election for Governor and lieutenant Governor, Sen- 
ators and Members of Assembly, will be the most contested we have had ever since we was 
the County of Washington, and as I have had no opportunity of seeing or hearing from thee, 
only haveseen thy name in a list for a nomination for Assembly, I must request the favour 
of thee to inform me if it is ag-reable to thee to be held up; if so. I'll vote for thee, and further 
to inform me by the bearer who thee would wish to be held up besides. My friends hold me, 
up as a Senator and Mr. Edward Savage. Now if you approve of the nomination I'll be 
obliged to you for your vote and interest in my favour if thee thinks it for the public benefit. 
I know thy interest will help a friend very much and if I can help thee or any of thy friends 
in the any further, I'll do it. I am thy Friend, 

"ALEXR. WEBSTER. 

"Hebron, 17th April, 1789. 

"In Confidence." 

4 Joseph Caldwell appears to have been elected supervisor in 1787 and Seth Sherwood 
in 1786, but there may have been two in 1786, or Caldwell may have had a proxy for Sher- 
wood. Joseph Caldwell was Lieutenant, Colonel June 27th, 1783, of the 16th, or Cambridge 
Reg-iment, Lewis van Woert, Colonel. 

5 Daniel Earl and Joel Adams were supervisors of Whitehall in 1786. Earl subse- 
quently held the office for many years. He was a sergeant in Colonel Webster's Charlotte 
Count}' Regiment. 

6 Daniel Curtis (sometimes spelled Curtice) settled in Granville about 1780, and Cur- 
tice was the first supervisor, although the first town meeting was not held until April 2d 
1787. He held that office in 1788-89 ; was town clerk from 1792 to 1794 and from 1797 to 1801, 
inclusive; was Member of Assembly 1791 to 1793, and Justice of the Peace in 1792-95-98 and 
1801. He was a private in Capt. Child's Company of Colonel Webster's Charlotte County 
Regiment. 

7 Colonel John Buck lived in what is now Hartford, formerly a part of Westfield (now 
Fort Ann) . He was one of the first, if not the first settler in what is now Hartford. West- 
field was not organized as a town until March 23d. 1786, and the name does not occur in the 
tax levy for 1785. In 1785 at a meetmg of the inhabitants of the Artillery and Provincial 
Patents he was elected a supervisor, and at the town meeting April 4th, 1786, Alpheus 
Spencer and Silas Childs were elected supervisors r>f Westfield. Colonel Buck's title to su- 
pervisor, therefore, like some of the others, is clothed in obscurity, but it was no doubt suffi- 
cient. Colonel Buck was presumably an officer in the Revolutionary Army. The author 
has not been able to satisfy himself as to his correct position in the Revolutionary annals. 

8 Phineas Babcock was one of the earliest settlers in Queensbury and was supervisor 



146 The Fort Edward Book. 

and hambilton McCollstor^ and Joshua Conke^o ggq^s., ap- 
pear and Enter into bond to the peopel of this state in the 
Pennil sum of £3000 for the due proformance of the duty of 
moses martin, Esq., as a Lone offiser. John WilHams and 
Joseph Colwell, Esqrs., become bail under Hke purpurses for 
Edward savi^, Esqr., the other Lone offiser for the due pro- 
fermance of his duty as a fore said, the supervisors Clarck is 
ordered to file the bonds according to Law whenever the 
oathe of offis is administered to the said Edward savig and 
moses martin, Esqr. 

Lastly. Voted that the Next Meeting of the Supervisors 
be at the House of George Killmors^i in arguyle 

A True Copy of the Minutes. 

MOSES MARTIN, Suprs. Clark. 



At a Meeting of the Supervisers of the County of Wash- 
ington, Held at the house of George Killmors in Arguyle on 
the first Tuesday in September, 1786. 



from that town in 177'>-80-83-84-86. He married Patience, daug^hter of Abraham Wing-, 
the ancestor of the Wing- family of Glens Falls, and of A. R. Wing of Fort Edward. He 
was a Captain June 23d, 1786. in Lieutenant Colonel Sherwood's Regiment. He removed 
to St. Albans, Vt., where he died about 1820. 

9 Hamilton McCollister was one of the pioneers of Salem. His descendants still reside 
there. He was one of the New Engrland colon}' in Salem. At this time he owned a farm in 
Salem. Judge McCollister of Chicag-o, 111., was a grandson of Hamilton; he was a 
brother-in-law of Joshua Ccnkey ; was a private in McNitt's Company of Major Arm- 
strong's Charlotte County Militia in 1781. He was a supervisor of Salem in 1790; Member of 
Assembly in 1780 to 1784. 

10 Joshua Conkey was one of the earliest settlers in Salem. He came from Pelham, 
Mass., about 1761 and was a freeholder at this time. He was Sheriff in 1781 and Quarter- 
master in Major Armstrong's Charlotte Count}' Militia. 

11 George Kilmore (or Kilmer) was an early settler in Arg-yle and at this time had a 
large log hou.se which was standing not many years ago. One of his daughters was the 
wifeof John Allen, whose family was murdered by the Indians at the time of Burgroyne's 
invasion. Numerous de.scendants of his still reside in Argyle. 



Supervisors' Proceedings, 1786. 147 

The Supervisors from the Difrant Destricts Present 

Alex. Webster, Hebron 
Adam Martin, Salem 
Lemuel Hide^ Hampton 
Daniel Curtice, Grandvell 
Phineous Babcock, Oueensbury 
Seth Sherwood, Kingsbury 
James Batty, Arguvle 
John Buck, Westfield 
Daniel Earls, Whitehall 

Crown Point- 

And proseded as follows: 

first. Chose Alexd. Webster, Moderator 

2d Chose Moses Martin, Clark 

3d Voted that the Quota of the Eight hundred pound 
Tax for The said County be as follows: 

The Quota of Crowpoint be £300—0—0 

4th The Quota of Salem be 101—13—7 

5th The Quota of Hebron be 63—11—3 

6th TheQuotaof Granvel be 67-16-0 

7th The Quota of Hampton be 21— 4— 

8th The Quota of Whitehall be 15—17—0 

9th The Quota of Westfield be 33—18—0 

10th The Quota of Kingsbury be 50-17-0 
11th The Quota of Queeensbury be 50—17— 
12th The Quota of Arguyle be 59— 6— 7 



£800— 0- 



1 Captain Lemuel Hyde was the first supervisor of Hampton. He was re-elected the 
next year. He was First Lieutenant in Colonel Williams' Dorset Regiment in 1781. 

2 Crown Point was then in Washing-ton County. Clinton County including substan- 
tially Essex and Franklin, was taken from Washington in 1788, and Essex taken from Clin- 
ton in 1794. 



148 The Fort Edward Book. 

13th Voted that the Tax be Laid on the Countv to De- 
fray Charges such as Wolf Tax, &c., And that it is to be 
Quotaed as above proportiond, Excepting Crownpoint 
which is to be Nothing Laid on as County Tax. 
Crownpoint Quota is £ — — 



Salem 


do 


is 


30- 


-16- 


-5 


Hebron 


do 


is 


19- 


- 5- 


-0 


Granvel 


do 


is 


20- 


-10- 


-8 


Hampton 


do 


is 


6- 


- 8- 


-1 


Whitehall 


do 


is 


15- 


- 8- 


-0 


Westfield 


do 


is 


10- 


- 5- 


-4 


Queen sbury 


do 


is 


15- 


- 8- 


-0 


Kingsbury 


do 


is 


15- 


- 8- 


-0 


Arguyle 


do 


is 


17- 


-19- 


-3 



£951— 9—2 

14th Voted that Esqr Fuller's^ Act be Allowed only 
£12—0—0. 

15th Voted that James Stewart be alowed 5 Days at 5 
pr Day, £1—5—0. 

16th Voted that Each Destrict pay their own Contin- 
gent Expenses. 

17th Voted that the Next Supervisors' Meeting Be held 
at the house of Asaph Cooks, ^' Esqr., in Granvel. 

A True Copy. 

MOSES MARTIN, Suprs. Clark. 

For Queensburv. 



1 This would seem to indicate that the supervisors' art of using- the pruning- knife was 
not wholly of recent growth, but that it, like the French Revolution, "was heaved on the 
bosom of remote antiquity." The record is not preserved to the amount of the "cut," there 
is but a gentle hint, a mere insinuation as it were, of the amputation performed, "only ^12." 

2 Asaph Cooke was one of the pioneers of Granville and from the fact that he was a rep- 
resentative from that town to the Vermont Leg-islature in 1781, it is a fair inference that 
he was in smypathy with the "Granters," rather than with the "Yorkers." His son 
IClutherus Cooke, was the father of the well known financier, Jay Cooke. Asajih was Lieu- 
tenant in Colonel Williams' Dorset Regiment, Charlotte County IMilitia in 1780 and Caj)tain 
in 1782. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

CIVIL LIST.— SUPERVISORS OF ARGYLE FROM 1771, DOWN TO 
1818, WHEN FORT EDWARD WAS SET OFF FROM ARGYLE. 
— EARLY TOWN MEETINGS. 

In the early years of the organization of the town, 
Argyle, at times, seems to have been divided into Districts, 
and to have had as many as three supervisors at one 
time, and at other times it appears to have had two. From 
the organization to 1818, the supervisors are given in their 
chronological order, while the supervisors for what is now^ 
the town of Fort Edw^ard are stated in alphabetical order. 

Duncan Campbell, elected April 2d, 1771, was the 
first supervisor of Argyle, and served for nine consecutive 
years. 

Roger Reid was supervisor in 1781-82. In 1783 James 
Beatty, John McNaughton and Peter Tearse were elected 
supervisors. In 1784-85 Duncan McArthur and James 
Beatty were supervisors. In 1786 James Beatty, Duncan 
McArthur and John McKnight. From 1787 to 1800, Adiel 
Sherwood and Wilham Reid were supervisors; 1801, John 
Hay; 1802, William Reid ; 1803-4, Alex. Cowan ; 1805-6, 
Alexander McLangall; 1807-8-9-10-11, Neal McConnellee ; 
1812-13-14-15, John Reid; 1816, Alex. Gillis ; 1817-18, 
John Robinson. 

Fort Edward Supervisors. 

Carey, Moses, 1818 Durkee, Solomon R., 1861-2 

Cheesman, James, 1859 Eddy, Timothy, 1819-29, 

Coleman, Fletcher, 1857 also 1833 



150 



The Fort Edward Book. 



Forbes, William, 1845 
Fort, Abram I., 1843, '48 
Guy, Isaac M., 1851-52 
Harris, Chas., 1842, '46, '50 
Rowland, Lansing M., 1885- 

87, '96-98 
Hull, Edgar, 1876-77, '79 
Mclntyre, James, 1830-32 
Mory, Michael, 1873-75, '83 
Morgan, J. J., 1899, 1900-03 
Moshier, Geo. B., 1860 
Nash, Melvin A., 1863-71 
Norton, Wm.S., 1838-39, '49 



Potter, T. J., 1892-94 
Qua, Ransom, 1882, '48 
Satterlee, George, 1856, '78 
Shaw, Milton E., 1837, '40, 

'44 
Stephenson, James, 1841 
Stephenson, James, Jr., 1847 
Taylor, Geo. H., 1853, '58 
Tifford, Wm. H., 1888-91 
Underwood, David, 1872 
Viele, Piatt C, 1834-36 
Wells, Caleb, 1854-55 
Wing, Asahel R., 1880-81 



Town Clerks. 



Bell, James, 1853-54 
Bennett, Bradley S., 1852, 

'58-60, '63-65 
Bennett, Samuel, 1839 
Beverly, G. Curtis, 1890-91 
Cheesman, James H., 1866- 

71, 1873-76, 79-80, '82- 

83, '85 
Cole, Aaron B., 1877-78 
Coleman, Fletcher, 1856 
Crocker, John, 1819-21 
Holmes, Lemuel C, 1857 
King, David H., 1872 
McCullom, Thomas, 1843 
Parry, John, 1851 
Payn, Daniel T., 1828-29, 

''38 
Pratt, Russell W., 1861-62 

Wilson, John 



Rogers, Nicholas, 1840, '42 
Rogers, Walter, 1818 
Sanders, George M., 1847-49 
Scott, George, 1892-94,1896 

-1903 
Shaw. Milton E., 1834-36 
Shepherd, Sam'l T., 1822-26 
Sprague, Merrit, 1844 
Sprague, Warren, 1845 
Stewart, Joseph, 1837, 
Stoughton, Timothy, 1827, 

'33, '46, '55 
Taylor, Albert G., 1877 
Viele, John C, 1830-32 
Wait, A. D., 1850 
Washburn, Edward, 1841 
Wing, Levi H., 1880, '84, 
'86-87 
D.. 1888-89 



Justices of the Peace. 



151 



Ackerman, Charles, 1870 
Bascom, Robert 0., 1881-83 
Bassettjohn W., 1863 
Bell, Sidney, 1865 
Bell, Warren, 1837 
Bennett, Samuel, 1831, '38, 

'46, '62 
Betts, Sidney, 1874, '78 
Bishop, Linus D., 1873 
Bitley, Jacob Jr., 1847, '51 
Blanchard, Hiram T., 1882 
Burby, Alonzo A., 1893-94 
Button, Martin, 1835, '43 
Button, Marcus, 1835 
Clark, John, 1872 
Crane, Edwin, 1853, '57, 

'72, '79 
Day, William M., 1889 
DeGarmo, William R., 1868- 

69, '71-72, '79 
Durkee, Elias, 1848 
Durkee, Reuben, 1846 
Eddy, Timothy, 1827 
Ferris, Elisha H., 1855 
Fox, Warren S., 1849 
Fullerton, Edward, 1831-32 
Gandall, JohnF., 1836 
Guy, George, 1858 
Hull, Edgar, 1867 
Hull, Frank B., 1885 
Kingsley, George C, 1 884-86 
Lane, David, 1866 
Lane, Walter M., 1875 
North, Julius B., 1899 
Mclntyre, James, 1850, '63- 

64, '68, '69 



Mclntyre, Nicholas, 1841, 

'45, '52, '58 
Matthews, Wm.H.,Jr., 1871 
Matthews, Wm. H., 1867-71 
O'Brien, Michael H., 1887 
Payn, Nathan, 1840 
Pratt, A. v., 1888, '92, 1903 
Redfern, Matthew, 1892 
Reynolds, James L., 1856, 

'60, '65, '68 
Rogers, Horace L., 1894, 

1901 
Rogers, Walter, 1840 
Robinson, Orville C, 1884 
Robinson, Willard, 1888, '90, 

'91, '95 
Robinson, William, 1866 
Rowell, Benjamin, 1842 
Sanders, David, 1827, '33, 

'39, '43 
Scott, George, 1877, '80 
Shaw, Milton E., 1831-32, 

'34, '61 
Shepherd, Samuel T., 1827, 

'30, '54, '59 
Stoughton, Timothy, 1827, 

'44, '49 
Taylor, Daniel W., 1876 
Turner, George, 1893, '97, 

1901 
VanDerwerker, Joseph, 1892 
VanDerwerker, Leon 'rd, 1864 
Watson, Wm. G., 1887, '90 
Winn, Don D., 1877, '81, '86 
Winn, H.Judson, 1896 
Williams, Valentine, 1899 



152 



The Fort Edward Book. 
Assessors. 



Ackerman, Charles, 1867 
Baker, Samuel D., 1896 
Baldwin, James, 1827, '40-41 
Bassett,Jolin W., 1859, '65 
Bell, James S., 1863, '66, '75, 

'78 
Bell, Warren, 1821-22 
Bennett, Hazen W.,Sr.,1879, 

'82 
Bennett, Samuel, 1819 
Bennett, Solon S., 1886, '89, 

'92, '95 
Bitley, Jacob, 1839 
Bitley, Jacob, Jr., 1839-40— 
Appointed in place of 
Jacob, refused to serve. 
Bitley, Stephen, Jr., 1838 
Carswell, Alexander, 1847 
Case, Alfred, 1864, '67, '70, 

'73 
Comer, E.O., 1880 
Cox, Lyman A., 1861 
Crane, Edwin, 1846 
DeGarmo, Alvah, 1890 
DeGarmo, David, 1874 
Dennis, Thomas M., 1885 
DeWolf, Joseph, 1849 
Doig, James, 1841-42 
Doig, William, 1862, '77 
Durkee, Archibald, 1843 
Durkee, James, 1818, '20 
Durkee, John, 1834-37, '46 
Durkee, Lorenzo, 1876 



Durkee, Norman, 1869 
Durkee, Reuben, 1819, '23- 

26, '30-32 
Durkee, Seth P., 1849, '51, 

'57, '60 
Durkee, Sidney, 1843, '45-46 
Galusha, Samuel, 1828-33 
Galusha, John, 1821-33, '35, 

'37, '50 
Harris, Peltiah, 1838-40, '44 
Hopkins, Joseph H., 1872, 

'84 
Hunter, Joseph, 1824-26 
Lauder, Thomas J., 1887 
McCoy, James, 1842, '52, 

'55 
McCoy, Robert, 1834-37 
McLane, William 0., 1841-42 
McMurray, Robert, 1856 
Mickle, James, 1883 
Mott, James D., 1881 
Monrow, Nathan, 1823 
Nash, Edwin B., 1838-39 
O'Brien, Patrick. 1885, '88 
Pavn, Charles, 1843 
Payn, Daniel, 1818 
Pike, Reuben G., 1886, '89, 

'91, '94 
Pratt, Russell W., 1844 
Robinson, James H., 1820, 

'27-29, '33, '54. 
Robinson, William, 1854 
Stephenson, James, 1844 



Assessors. 



153 



Stewart, John, 1853 
Stewart, John C, 1856, — 

appointed vice Jas. H. 

Robinson, resigned. 
Stewart, Joseph, 1836 
Tilford, George W., 1888 
Vaughn, Fayette B., 1899 



Washburn, Edward, 1845, 

'58 
Washburn, George, 1834 
Watson, William G., 1884, 

'93 
Whipple, Henry, 1868, '71 
Williams, Albert, 1897, '99 



Inspectors of Common Schools. 



Allen, Timothy, 1821-22 
Baker, G., 1829 
Bell, Stephen, 1819 
Bell, Warren, 1823-24 
Bennett. Samuel, 1830-31, 

'33 
Bitley, Stephen, 1840 
Blawis, Reuben, 1839-40, '43 
Bostwick, John, 1820, '23- 

24, '27 
Carswell, Gideon, 1839 
Cornell, Benj. F , 1831, '33 
Cornell, Nathan, 1835-36 
Eddy, Timothy. 1824-26, 

'31-32 
Emmons, Solomon, 1819-22 
Fitch, Asa, 1832 
Gandall, John F., 1819-20. 

25-26 
Green, Absolum C, 1839 



Hall, George, 1838 
Hawley, Elias, 1823 
Joslin, Benj. A., 1828 
Lewis, Taylor, 1828-29 
McCoy, Robert, 1833-34 
Miller John A. ,1835-37 
Mack, James, 1837 
Norton, William S., 1827-30, 

'37-38, 40-43 
Pattison, John, 1825-26, '30 
P:ayn, Daniel T., 1827 
Payn, Nathan, 1838 
Payn, Noah, Jr., 1822 
Rogers, Walter, 1833-34 
Shaw^ Milton E„ 1836, '42 
Southerland, Alex., 1819 
Sprague, Merritt, 1841 
Viele,JohnC., 1841 
Viele, Stephen. 1819 
Washburn, George, 1834-35 



154 



The Fort Edward Book. 



Commissioners of Common Schools. 



Baldwin, Jas. S., 1830 
Bennett, Samuel, 1818-19 
Bell, Warren, 1819-21, 1825 

-29 
Blavvis, Reuben C, 1841 
Cheesman, James, 1840 
Clark, Ralph, 1824-26 
Durkee, Reuben, 1818 
Durkee, Timothy, 1838 
Eddy, Timothy, 1836-37 
Elmore, Austin, 1834-36 
Forbes, William, 1841-42 
Galusha, John, Jr., 1837 
Gandall, John F., 1834-35 
Gilchrist, Jas. H., 1838-41 

Wing, Daniel 



Hall, Henry M., 1839 
Kirkham, Thomas L., 1833 
Miller, John A., 1842 
Norton, Wm. S., 1831-33 
Pattison, John, 1827-33, '40 
Powell, Ebenezer, Jr. ,1831-32 
Rutherford, Aaron, 1822 
Robinson, Jas. H., 1830 
Rogers, Walter, 1819-20, 24 

-26. 28-29 
Southerland, Alex, 1820-21 
Stewart, John C, 1834-37 
Stott, George, 1839 
VanDeusen, Chris., 1822-24 
Viele, Lodovicus, 1823-30 
W^, 1821-23 



Superintendents of Common Schools. 



Blawis, Reuben, 1844-48 
Durkee, Lorenzo, 1852 
Forbes, WilHam, 1843 



Norton,John, 1853 — appoint- 
ed vice Lorenze Durkee^ 
Shaw, Milton, E., 1854, 56 



Sealer of Weights and Measures. 



Bristol, Charles, 1842 
Buck, Philander, 1843 
Cool Hyman S., 1840 
Crane, Edwin, 1850 
Durkee, Thos., 1845-49, '51 
Eliot, Henry, 1838 
King, David H., 1876 



Matthews, David, 1831, '33- 

'35 
Mclntyre, Daniel, 1841 
Mclntyre, John, 1844 
Reynolds, Zachariah, 1836- 

37 
Scoville, Seth, 1839 



1 Lorenzo Durkee was elected to the ofBce, but was unable to act, because of his re- 
moval from town. 



Collectors. 



155 



Town Collectors. 



Baldwin, James, 1820-21 
Bell, George W., 1886 
Bennett, James, 1867 
Bitley, Stephen, 1841, '48-49, 

'54 
Bristol, Thomas, 1856, '60 
Bristol, William, 1832, '35 
Button, George, 1830 
Carswell, Gideon, 1851 
Chapman, Fred A., 1887 
Crane, Andrew, 1892 
Crawford, Edward L., 1878 
Crocker, John, 1822 
Downey, James, 1875 
Duffy, Peter J. ,1883 
Durkee, Ansel C, 1853 
Durkee, Edgar L., 1889 
Durkee, Ira, 1896-97, '99 
Durkee, Solomon, 1845 
Dwyer, Michael O., 1882 
Darrow, Henry, 1901-3 
Fullerton, Edward, 1824-28 
Gilchrist, Alex., Jr., 1842-43 
Gleason, Francis, 1823 
Graham, Sylvester, 1881 
Goodfellow, Frank, 1880 
Harris, Charles, 1859 
Howe, James, 1884 
Hubbell, Jonathan S., 1857- 

58 
Infield, Gideon P., 1872 
Kennedy, Wm. T., 1892 



Lane, Walter M., 1866 
Livermore, Absolum, 1846 
Mclntyre, Nicholas, 1818-19 
McMurray, Wm.J., 1890 
McShane, Daniel, 1888 
Mickle, James, 1877 
Morgan, E. P., 1874 
Moshier, George P., 1865 
Nash, Edwin B., 1872 
O'Brien, Patrick, 1867 
Pike, Erastus, 1898 
Payn, Charles, 1833 
Reeves, A. M., 1891 
Robinson, Albert J., 1861-62 
Russell, James M., 1876 
Sanders, George M., 1863 
Scovil, Stephen, 1839-40, '47 
Sherw^ood, Bushrod M., 1852 
Somers, John, 1864 
Stoughton, Timothy F., 1885 
Stoughton,Halsey,W, 1870- 

71, '79 
Taylor, David, 1831, '55 
Taylor, Robert, 1869 
Tilford, Alexander, 1829 
Tilford, Harmon, 1853 
VanDerwerker, Le'n'd, 1850 
VanDerw^erker, Christopher, 

1834, '36-38 
Washburn, Edward, 1844 
Wells, Harvey S., 1873 
Winn, H.Judson, 1894-5 



156 



The Fort Edward Book. 
Excise Commissioners.^ 



Alwell, Dennis J., 1890 
Cole, Aaron B., 1880 
Davis, Russell C, 1892 
Durkee, William E., 1875-76 
Finlay, Lawrence B., 1893-94 
Mickel, James, 1895 
Milliman, Jarvis W., 1891 
Mory, Michael, 1877 
Murdock, David W., 1881, 
'83, '86 

White, Lym 



Northnp, Edwin R., 1892 
Northup, H. Davis, 1895-96 
Northup, James, M., 1893 
Odell, David M., 1878-79, 

'82, '85, '88 
Russell, Jas. M., 1881, '84, '87 
Tasker, Benjamin M., 1877 
Tompkins, Martin H., 1878 
Viele.J. Henry, 1877 
Wells, George B., 1889 
an D., 1875 



Commissioners of Highways. 



Ackerman, Charles, 1856, 

'59 
Bain, George, 1862 
Baker, Henry, 1841 
Baldwin, James, 1825-26 
Barber, David, 1821 
Bell, George W., 1895 
Bell, Stephen, 1836-37 
Bibbins, William, 1846. '48 
Blake, Joseph, 1844-45 
Bristol, Erastus, 1868, '71 
Bristol, George, 1835-37 
Bristol, William Irving, 1894 
Brown, James R., 1896 
Carswell, Alex., 1843-45 
Case, Alfred, Jr., 1887, '90 
Daily, Charles A., 1874, '77 



Gilchrist, William, 1851 
Hamblin, Benj., 1818 
Harris, W^illiam, 1897 
Hopkins, Charles C, 1846, 

'49 
Hopkins, Joseph H., 1879, 

'81 
Hopkins, Martin, 1819 
Hunter, Joseph, 1827-31 
McCollum, Thos., 1850, '53 
McCoy, James, 1837 
McCoy, Robert, 1831-32, 

'75 
McDougall, James, 1838-39, 

'44-45 
McMurray, Robert, 1838-40, 

'42 



1 Excise commissioners were first elected in 1875 



Commissioners of Highways. 



157 



DeGarmo, David J., 1885, 

'88, '91 
De Wolf, Joseph, 1841 
Durkee, Archibald, 1852, '55, 

'58, '61, '64 
Durkee, Halsey, 1867, '70 
Durkee, Lydius, 1822-33 
Durkee, Norman, 1873, '76, 

'92 
Durkee, Reuben, 1829, '34- 

'35 
Durkee, Solomon, Jr.. 1820- 

21 
Ellis, Thomas, 1842 
Ellis, Thomas W., 1886, '89 
Flannigan, Edward, 1877 
Ford, George, 1819-20 
Galusha, Reuben, 1822-34 
Gilchrist, Alex., 1833-36 



Mead, Charles N., 1857 
Metcalf, Calvin, 1883 
Montgomery, John, 1818-24 
Ottman, Wm. R., 1869, '72, 

'78, .81, '84 
Pardee, W. H., 1842 
Potter, Abel, 1818 
Sanders, Daniel, 1838, '41 
Shepherd, James H., 1881-82 
Stephenson, James, 1846 
Stickney, William, 1860, '63, 

'66 
Stevens, George, 1893 
Stott, James, 1846-47 
Taylor, David, 1843 
Taylor, George H., 1843 
Underwood, David, 1854 
Williams, Benjamin, 1839-40 
White, Lyman, 1865 



Postmasters at Fort Edward. 



The Fort Edward post-office was established [anuary 
1st, 1798. 

Name Date of Appointment 

Matthias Ogden, January 1st, 1798 

James Rogers " " 1804 

John F. Gandall July " 1811 

John F. Gandall '' " 1818 

Darwin B. Eldredge March 6th, 1828 

James Mclntyre " 3d, 1829 

John F. Gandall " 19th, 1832 

Charles Harris " 7th, 1848 



158 The Fort Edward Book. 

Name Date of Appointment 

Timothy Stoughton May 2d, 1849 

James Mclntyre April 22, 1853 

Daniel S. Carswell May 10, 1861 

James H. Harris August 25th, 1874 

Benjamin M. Tasker June 28th, 1887 

Orville C. Robinson January 6th, 1892 

Benjamin M. Tasker October 21st, 1896 

Alfred C. Hodgman January 1st, 1890 



Postmasters at Fort Edward Center. 

The Fort Edward Center post-office was established 
April 11th, 1832, and was discontinued November 29th, 
1859. 

Name Date of Appointment 

John C.Stewart April 11th, 1832 

Merritt Sprague " 12th, 1837 

Warren Sprague May 15th, 1838 

David Roberts " 28th, 1846 

Calvin Durkee April 5th, 1852 

EHsha H. Ferris May 26th, 1855 

David Roberts July 2d, 1856 



Postmasters at Fort Miller. 

The post-office at Fort Miller was established October 
1st, 1802 

Solomon vSmith October 1st, 1802 

Peleg Bragg October 1st, 1812 

Seneca G. Bragg, July 1st, 1815 

Lodovicus S. Viele April 3d, 1826 

John C. Viele April 8th, 1831 



Postmasters. 159 

N^""^ Date of Appointment 

Lodovicus S. Viele February 8th, 1833 

Leonard Vanderwerker July 23d, 1845 

Isaac M. Grey October 27th, 1847 

George H. Bragg April 12, 1850 

Thomas McFadden June 1st, 1853 

Samuel Pike April 10, 1856 

Joseph Fenton August 7th, 1861 

Samuel Bennett December 7th, 1864 

Alfred F. Nichols, January 18th, 1865 

David J. DeGarmo October 16th, 1885 

Alfred F. Nichols April 9th, 1889 

Melvin White July 6th, 1894 



Postmasters at Moses Kill. 

A post-office was established at Moses Kill March 25th, 
1872, and discontinued March 20th, 1890. It was subse- 
quently re-established under the name of Mock, but the 
residents of that section petitioned that the old name be re- 
stored and the office is still known as Moses Kill. 

■'^^'"s Date of Appointment. 

James D. Mott March 25th, 1872 

David C. Brisbin January 23d, 1874 

Moses N. Newell December 27th, 1880 

Stephen H. Mory January 19th, 1887 



From the early town records it appears that the first 
town meeting was held at the house of Solomon Emmons, 
on the 22d day of May, 1818, pursuant to an act of the 
Legislature. Timothy Eddy was moderator, Moses Gary 
was elected supervisor, and Walter Rogers town clerk. It 



160 Early Town Meetings. 

was resolved that "a fine of $5.00 shall be imposed on any 
person owning any horned cattle turned on the commons of 
said town of Fort Edward from the county of Saratoga or 
anv other county." It was also resolved that "hogs, geese 
and sheep shall not be free commoners." It was determined 
that $100 should be raised for the support of the poor, and 
$50 to defray the town expenses. 

Some entries in the early records indicate that cat- 
tle were marked as they are to-day branded in the west. 
The mark, when registered in the town clerk's office, con- 
stituted an evidence of ownership. In 1819 it is recorded 
that the mark of Duncan Mclntyre was, "a crop on the 
right ear and a hole in the same about the middle." 

At a meeting of the town auditors on the 2d dav of 
March, 1819, there being present Moses Cary, Timothy 
Eddy and Timothy Stoughton, the accounts of the poor- 
master were audited by which it appears that he had re- 
ceived $100, of which he had paid out $87.09. The super- 
visor reported that he had received for the contingent ex- 
penses of the town $74. 841/2; that he had expended |24. 871/2 
and that out of the money remaining in his hands there was 
to be paid to William Rogers, $9.00; to Nicholas Mclntyre, 
$2.00, and to David Bristol, $1.90, leaving a balance in his 
hands of $37.75. 

In 1819 the first State election for Senator appears to 
have been held in Fort Edward, and it began on the last 
Tuesday of April and was continued b}' adjournment until 
Thursday of the same week. The vote first recorded is 
that for Senator, the district is described as the Eastern Dis- 
trict. Eight candidates were voted for, and 188 votes ap- 
pears to have been cast for the office of Senator. 

On the 4th day of May, 1819, the Commissioners of 
Excise, consisting of Timothy Edd}^ Timothy Stoughton, 
S. L. Viele and Warren Bell, granted licenses to keep an inn 



Meeting of Town Board. 161 

or tavern, to Alexander Sontherland, Stephen Stearns, 
Daniel Payne, Solomon Emmons and Jaspar Deuel; it ap- 
pearing to the commissioners that these men were all of good 
moral character; that they had sufficient ability to keep an 
inn ; that thej^ had the accommodations to entertain travel- 
ers, and that inns were necessary at the place where they 
resided. 

In 1820, Henry Martin surveyed, and John Montgom- 
ery and Martin Hopkins, Commissioners of Highways, laid 
out a road, beginning at the northwest corner of the bridge, 
leading across the brook commonly called Beaver Dam 
Creek, and running, according to the courses and distances, 
to Fort Miller, nearly opposite to the ferry, commonly call- 
ed Rogers Ferry. This road was four rods wide. 

At the town meeting held in the spring of 1821 it was 
resolved that the next annual town meeting should be held 
at the house of Asa Eddy in the village of Fort Edward, but 
the next year the town meeting returned to Fort Edward 
Center. 

In 1821, on the 21st da^^ of April, Gerrit Peebles of the 
town of Lansingburgh, of the county of Rensselaer, certified 
that for and in consideration of the faithful services of 
"Jack," otherwise called John Jackson, a black man about 
the age 37 years, born in the town of Half Moon, in the 
present county of Saratoga, and about five feet seven and 
one-half inches in height, and for diverse other causes and 
considerations, him thereunto moving, he, on or about 
eight or nine years ago emancipated and made free the said 
"Jack," otherwise called John Jackson, who was then a 
slave of the said Peebles. Peebles acknowledged the execu- 
tion of this instrument before Rich. L. McDonald, a commis- 
sioner for Rensselaer count}^ and John Baker, one of the 
judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Washington count^^, 



162 The Fort Edward Book. 

certifies that John Jackson, on the 21st day of April, 1821, 
residing in the town of Fort Edward, personall}^ appeared 
before him and exhibited proof, reduced to writing, of his 
freedom, which proof was satisfactory to the jndge, 
and thereupon he certified that he was of opinion that the 
said "Jack," otherwise called John Jackson, was free, ac- 
cording to the laws of the State of New York. 

On the 25th of April, in the same year, Mintus Northup 
of the town of Fort Edward, being duly sworn, said that he 
had always understood and verily believed that he was 
born in the town of North Kingston, in the State of Rhode 
Island, and that he "was borned free," and at that time he 
w^as of the age of fort3^-five years and eight months, and 
that since he had arrived at the age of twenty years he had 
acted and continued as a free man. This affidavit was 
sworn to before Timothy N. Allen, a justice of the peace; 
and Timothy Eddy made oath that he had been acquainted 
with Mintus Northup for twenty years and upwards, and 
verily believes that during all that time the said Mintus was 
always considered as a free man ; and John Baker, one of the 
judges of the court, certifies that this proof is satisfactory to 
him, and that he is of the opinion that Mintus Northup is 
free according to the laws of the State of New York. 

These records are the early sj'mptoms of the beginning 
of that great agitation of the subject of slavery, which was 
afterwards destined to be settled by the arbitrament of war, 
and these are the only allusions that are found in the town 
records upon this "Peculiar Institution." 

In 1821, Matthew Ogden, Benjamin Durkee and Noah 
Payne, Jr., were authorized by the board of inspectors of 
election of the town of Fort Edward, to take the census in 
said town. 



Laying Out Highways. 163 

111 1823 the town meeting was held at the house of 
Solomon Emmons; Samuel T. Shepherd was chosen moder- 
ator of the meeting. The next year, 1824, it was held at 
the house of John Stewart, who, no doubt, kept the house 
formerly kept by Solomon Emmons. 

In laying out a road in 1825, Lydius Durkee and James 
Baldwin, commissioners of highways, certify that they 
"have laid out a road from the public highway to the school- 
house in district No. 1, and this road beginning at the north- 
east corner of village lot No. 8, runs from thence north, 
eighty-seven degrees east, to the canal; then north, three 
degrees west, twent\'-five feet ; then south, eight^'-seven de- 
grees west, three hundred and thirty-seven feet to Lydius 
street." Lydius street, which took its name, no doubt, from 
Col. John Henry Lydius, the first settler here, has disap- 
peared from our vocabulary of streets, but old citizens have 
told that what we now call Lower Broadway was once 
called Lydius street. 

In 1830, Joseph Hunter and Lydius Durkee, commis- 
sioners of highways, laid out a road "commencing on the 
west side of Rogers Island, so called, at the end of the bridge 
built across the west branch of the river, by the Fort Ed- 
ward Bridge Compan3% and running thence by distances 
and courses to the center of the west end of the bridge built 
by the aforesaid company, across the east end of said bridge 
running by distances and courses to the center of the Water- 
ford and Whitehall turnpike." This road was laid out of the 
width of three rods and designated as a highway, and 
ordered to be recorded as such. Milton E. Shaw was the 
surveyor. This was the street which is now commonly 
known and called as Bridge street, running from 
Broadway across the Island to Saratoga County. East 
street was laid out as a public street on the 23d of Septem- 
ber, 1830, and it is described as a street running from Fort 



164 The Fort Edward Book. 

Edward village to the east line of said town, and the school- 
house, or original farm lot. No. 129 in the Argyle Patent, 
and it commences on the east line of the Whitehall and 
Waterford turnpike in the village of Fort Edward, at a 
point equally distant from the south side of D. W. Wing's 
row of wooden buildings^ and the north side of the Tavern 
stand, which monuments have long since ceased to exist. 

In 1840 the electors determined that the next meet- 
ing should be held at the house kept by Arad Sprague. 

In 1841, the supervisor reported to the town board that 
he had received excise money to the amount of $63, and for 
town expenses $152.81, amounting in all to $215.81. He 
had paid to John McNaughton, county treasurer, $65, and 
had paid to the town officers, as per accounts audited, 
$152.81. The commissioners of highways -reported that 
they had received $151.07 during the past year, and had ex- 
pended on roads and bridges $132.47, leaving a balance in 
their hands of $18.60. The number of days' work assessed 
in town b}^ the highway commissioners was 1335, and the 
whole number worked and commuted was 1243% days, 
leaving a deficiency of 41^?^ days. 

The commissioners of common schools reported that 
they had received $451.44, and that thc}^ had paid District 
No. 1, C. VanDusan, $78.20; District No. 2, T. Linindoll, 
$66.65; District No. 3, E. Washburn, $71.98; District No. 
4, J. Stewart, $39.10; District No. 5, W. Forbes, $43.55; 
District No. 6, J. Stevenson, Jr., $28.44; District No. 9, I. D. 
Whipple, $23.11 ; District No. 13, C. White «& Hand, $20.44; 
District No. 15, Duncan F. McNaughton, $3.48; District 
No. 3, G. Guy, Bennett, and others, $80.46; making the 
total amount paid out $451.44. 



1— D. W. Wing-'s "row of wooden buildings" stood on the corner of Broadway and East 
St., about where Harris Place now stands, and the "Tavern Stand" was south of where 
the Mory block now is. 



Plank Road Franchise. 165 

In 1845, the annual town meeting was held at the house 
of Warren Sprague, and at four o'clock p. m., "it appeared 
to be the general opinion that all had voted who would 
that day," the board closed the polls and proceeded to 
canvass the votes. At a town meeting held pursuant to 
Chapter 300 of the Session Laws of 1845, a vote was taken 
upon the subject of "license" and "no license," and 194 votes 
were cast for no license, and 60 for license; the whole 
number of votes upon this subject being 254. This meeting 
was held on the 19th of May, 1846. 

On the 11th day of February, 1850, William S. Norton, 
supervisor of the town, Charles C. Hopkins, William Bib- 
bins and James Stott, commissioners of highways, entered 
into an agreement with the president, directors and com- 
pany of Fort Edward and Fort Miller Plank Road Com- 
pany, by which the Plank Road Company was authorized 
to construct a plank road from the village of Fort Edward 
to the village of Fort Miller, with the right to extend the 
same to the Saratoga bridge. This plank road was per- 
mitted to be built along the highway known as the Water- 
ford and Whitehall turnpike, and the same year the same 
officers authorized the Argyle and Fort Edward Plank 
Road Company, pursuant to an act of the Legislature, 
passed in 1847, to construct a plank road from Fort Ed- 
ward ro Argyle. The Plank Road Company paid to the 
town the sum of |5 for the privilege and for the damages 
for taking and using the highway, and for this compensa- 
tion, our neighbors in Argyle have been compelled to pay 
tribute for more than half a century, whenever they desire 
to visit Fort Edward, and the Fort Edward citizens have 
likewise been compelled to pay similar tribute whenever 
it became necessary for them to visit their friends in Argyle. 

The highwa3^ commissioners in 1850, having met at the 
inn kept by David Roberts, at Fort Edward Center, adjourned 



166 The Fort Edward Book. . 

to meet at the house of Gideon Carswell, in the village of 
Fort Edward, at which time they completed the business 
for which they were assembled, and on the first Monday in 
October, 1850, Charles Harris, supervisor, A. D. Wait, town 
clerk, and Joseph DeWolf, one of the assessors, determined 
that there should be but one election district in the town of 
Fort Edward, and that the November election should be 
held at the inn kept by David Roberts. 

July 11th, 1851, Charles C. Hopkins and William Gil- 
christ, commissioners of highways, laid out the street now 
known as State street, in the present village of Fort Ed- 
ward. They met at the house of Solomon Durkee. Upon the 
application of George H. Taylor and other residents of the 
town, and the owners of the adjoining property having 
given their consent, the commissioners ordered that a pri- 
vate road of the width of two rods should be laid out, be- 
ginning in the northerly line of the road in the village of 
Fort Edward leading from the Fort Edward and Fort 
Miller Plank Road to the Saratoga and Washington Rail- 
road in the westerly line of lands belonging to Nicholas 
Mclntyre, and in the easterly line of lands of John C. 
Cameron. 

In 1852, the town meeting was held at the house of Cal- 
vin Durkee, and on April 26th, 1852, Archibald Durkee, 
Thomas McCollum and W^illiam Gilchrist, commissioners of 
highways, laid out what is now called McCrea street, upon 
the application of George Harvey and Frederick D. Hodg- 
man ; George Harvey and the Fort Edward Manufacturing 
Company, through whose lands the road was to pass, hav- 
ing given their consent. 

In 1853, Mechanic street from Mill street north was 
laid out by the commissioners of highways, and the com- 
missioners noted that "the hollow was to be filled and the 
feeder bridged by the applicants, Frederick D. Hodgman, 



The Town Divided. 167 

George Harvey and Russell Hickock, without any expense 
to the town of Fort Edward." The many roads laid out in 
the fifties indicate that the town was then growing rapidly. 

October 3d, 1853, George H. Taylor, supervisor, James 
S. Bell, town clerk, and the assessors, having met at the 
house of Roswell Durkee, determined that the town should 
be divided into two districts, called Number 1 and Number 
2 ; Number 1 being that part of the town north of the road 
known as the "Warner Road," leading from the river to the 
Argyle line near John Durkee's ; and Number 2, that part of 
the town south of said road. 

In 1853, what we now call Eddy and Church streets 
were laid out by the commissioners of highways, and in the 
same year. Mill street ; and in 1854 Moon street was laid 
out. 

At the annual town meeting at the black house in 
March, 1854, Edwin B. Crane was chosen moderator. 

In 1855, at the November election the whole number of 
votes cast for Secretary of State was 370. In 1856, it is re- 
corded that the reports of the tow^n officers were "red and 
excepted." This brings us down to what may be called 
modern times, and while many curious and interesting facts 
might well be noted, yet the limitations of this work require 
that an end be made to this chapter. Diu'ing the period 
covered by the foregoing pages, the town and village of 
Fort Edward had been practically laid out as it is to-day, 
although the population at that time was not nearly as 
great as at present. 



CHAPTER XV.— Churches. 



"We watched the people churchward g-o 
Each to his place as if thereon 
The true Shekinah only shone." 



St. James Episcopal Church. 

The first church of England estabhshecl in this part of 
the State was St. Peters, at Albany, which was opened 
for service in the year 1716. After the Revolution the 
country was rapidly settled and by 1800 there were many 
churches of that denomination in the surrounding country. 
An occasional missionarj^ came into this neighborhood at 
intervals, preaching when and where he could. Various 
clergymen held service here according to the ritual of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church. Probably the Rev. Ami 
Rogers, of Half Moon,i was the first one to conduct divine 
service in Fort Edward. Rev. William B. Lacy of St. Peters, 
Albany, was here once or twice, also the Rev. Amos G. Bald- 
win, of Charlton,^ between 1825 and 1827. Rev. Mr. Bruce, 
said to have been from Saratoga Co., attempted to organize 
a parish here. Rev. Reuben Hubbard of Saratoga, held ser- 
vices here at various times, between 1834 and 1840. Rev. 
Palmer Dyer, who afterwards settled in Granville, preached 
here once a month for quite a period of time. In 1840, Rev. 
John Alden Spooner came from Vermont as a missionary in 
charge of the stations at Sandy Hill, Glens Falls and Fort 
Edward. This arrangement began January 14, 1840. Ser- 



1. Reclor of St. John's Church, Stillwater, orj^-anized 1705. 

2. Rector of St. Paul's Church, Charlton, orgfanized 1S03. 



St. James Episcopal Church. 169 

vices were held on one Sunday at Glens Falls, the next Sun- 
day morning at Sand}' Hill, and in the afternoon at Fort 
Edward. The latter place being considered as a part of 
Zion Church, Sandy Hill, (organized in 1813). Mr. 
Spooner organized the Church of the Messiah at Glens Falls, 
February' 10, 1840; and the St. James Church at this place 
December 16, 1844. On the last mentioned day a meeting of 
the congregation was held at the house of worship of the 
Methodist Society in Fort Edward, for the purpose of organ- 
izing a parish separated from Sandy Hill. 

The Certificate of Incorporation is as follows: 

To all whom these presents shall or 7)iay concern : 

We whose names and seals are hereunto affixed, do certify that in 
pursuance of a notice dul}' given, according- to law for that purpose, at 
the time of divine service on the two Sunday morning-s now last past, 
the male persons of full ag-e belonging- to the Church, congregation or 
society, worshiping in the Methodist house of wor-ship at Fort Edward 
(in which church, congregation, or society, divine service is performed 
according to the rites of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the State 
of New York), met at their place of worship in the said house of wor- 
ship of the Methodist Society in Fort Edward aforesaid, for the purpose 
of incorporating themselves under an act entitled "An Act to provide 
for the incorporation of Religious Societies and the act to amend the 
same," at which meeting, and by a majority of voices, the under- 
signed, John Alden Spooner, being Rector, was called to the chair and 
presided, and the undersigned, John F. Gandal and Daniel W. Wing 
were nominated to certify the proceedings of said meeting in conjunc- 
tion with the Rector. And by a majoritj' of votes or voices, John 
Roberts and John F. Gandal were duly elected church wardens, and 
William R. Mills, Titus Beach, Henry Martin, James A. Carlisle, Adol- 
phus F. Hitchcock, John H. Beach, Samuel R. Piatt and Charles H. 
Beach were duly elected vestrymen of said church. And Wednesday 
in the week called Easter week, in like manner was the day fixed on 
as the da5' on which the aforesaid officers of Church Wardens and 
Vestrymen shall annually thereafter cease and their successors in 
office be appointed or chosen. And the name and title of the "Rector, 
Church Wardens and Vestrymen of St. James Church, Fort Edward" 
was in like manner fixed on and agreed to as that name by which said 
Church or Society shall be known in law. 

In testimony whereof we, the said John Alden Spooner, together 
with the undersigned, John F. Gandal and Daniel W. Wing have here- 



170 The Fort Edward Book. 

unto subscribed our names this 16th day of December, in the year 
of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and fiftj'-four. 

Signed JOHN ALDEN SPOONER [l.s.] 

JOHN F. GANDAL, [l.s.] 

DANIEL W. WING, [l.s.] 
State OF New York, K 



} 



County of Washington, 

On this 16th day of December, 1844, John Alden Spooner, and John 
F. Gandal and Daniel W. Wing, all to me well known to be the per- 
sons described in and who executed the foregoing instrument, person- 
ally appeared before me, and severally acknowledged the executioti 
thereof. 

Signed, WALTER ROGERS, Justice Peace. 

In September, 1844, the vestry of Zion church at Sandy 
Hill, appointed Daniel W. Wino^, William R. Mills, and Adol- 
phus F. Hitchcock a committee to solicit subscriptions for 
the erection of a church at this place. While this committee 
was engaged in this work the parish was organized as 
above mentioned. At the first vestry meeting, held at the 
house of Jonathan S. Hubbell, December 22, 1844, a com- 
mittee of five was appointed with power "to transact all 
business necessary for the erection and furnishingof a church 
edifice." They were the Rev. Mr. Spooner, Messrs. Daniel 
W. Wing, Jonathan S. Hubbell, William R. Mills and James 
H. CarHsle. 

The church lot was given to the church by Walter Rog- 
ers, and the deed contained a clause to the effect that the 
sittings should alwa3'S be free, and that the "seats, steps or 
pews at no time be leased, sold or rented." The ground for 
the new church was broken early in the spring of 1845, and 
on the 21st of May in that 3'ear, the corner stone was laid 
with apjDropriate ceremonies. Dr. Horatio Potter of Al- 
banv, delivered the sermon and Rev. John Williams of Schen- 
ectady, Rev. S. B. Bostwick of Brandon, Vt., Rev. John H. 
Hobart of Saratoga Springs, Rev. M. A. Nickerson of Still- 
water, assisting in the ceremonies and services. It is said 
that the day was "one of the sweetest in May" and that a 
large number of people attended the services. On the 2d of 



St. James Episcopal Church. 171 

February, 1846, a joint meeting of the vestry of the churches 
of Glens Falls, Sand}^ Hill and Fort Edward was held, and 
it was determined that the growing interests of these vil- 
lages demanded the services of an assistant rector, and it 
was further determined to ask that Glens Falls and Sandy 
Hill be one missionary station, and that Fort Edward and 
Argyle be one station. In consequence of these efforts the 
Rev. Samuel B. Bostwick of Brandon, Vt., accepted a call 
and entered upon his duties as assistant rector. 

On the 7th of September, 1846, a second joint meeting 
of the three vestries was held and in consideration of the 
still greater demand for the services of a rector it was de- 
termined to secure the services of a third clergyman and ac- 
cordingly Rev. Henrj' McVickar was called as a second as- 
sistant to these parishes. At this meeting it was also deter- 
mined that Glens Falls and Luzerne should be one station 
under the charge of Rev. Mr. McVickar; that Fort Ann and 
Sand}' Hill be one station under the charge of Rev. Mr. Bost- 
wick, yet Fort Edward and Sandy Hill still continue to 
be regarded as one parish. At this time there seems to have, 
unhappily arisen, sundry differences between the Rev. Mr. 
Spooner and some members of his parish ; not only in this 
place but the feeling appears to have extended to the sister 
villages. These conditions seemed to render it infelicitous 
to longer continue the connection of pastor and people be- 
tween the rector and the parishes and accordingly about the 
11th of May, 1848, the relation was dissolved and the 
Rev. Samuel B. Bostwick was called to become the rector of 
St. James church, which call he accepted. The relation thus 
formed happily continued for many j^ears, and until the de- 
mands of the parish here became so great as to require the 
undivided attention of a rector, when Mr. Bostwick resigned 
the pastorate here in 1870, retaining that at Sandy Hill. 

In May, 1848, a new building committee was appointed 
consisting of the rector, Rev. S. B. Bostwick, D. W. Wing, B. 



172 The Fort Edward Book. 

F. Hoag, and J. S. Hubbell. The difficulty of raising the nec- 
essary funds embarrassed the committee and the want of a 
finished house of worship seriousU^ interfered with the pros- 
perity of the church. In this dilemma Mr. Daniel W. Wing, 
with characteristic generosity, came to the front and offered 
to complete the church at his own expense. This offer was, 
it is needless to say, accepted with gratitude, and the re- 
cords of the corporation testify in feeling terms to the grati- 
tude of the officers and society. The church building, exclu- 
sive of the lot, cost $3,270.77, of which sum Mr. Wing alone 
contributed $1,103.87. Thus the church was completed 
and consecrated free of debt, on the 15th day of September, 
1848, by the Rt. Rev. Wilham Heathcote DeLancy, D. D., 
LL. D., bishop of Western New York, officiating in the dio- 
cese of New York. 

In St. James Church, is a tablet erected to the memory 
of Mr. Wing, and his beloved wife, w^ith the following 
inscriptions : 

DANIEL W. WING 
Died 

May 25, 1856, 
Aged 75 Years and 10 Months 

A foremost citizen of this village 

and a faithful member of this Church; 

The generous giver and zealous worker, 

to whom, under God, 

the parish chiefly owes the erection 

of this Church. 



ALMIRA HIGBY, 

Wife of 

DANIEL W. WING, 

Died March 6, 1882, 

Aged 87 Y'rs, 5 Mo's, 15 D'ys. 

Her husband's read}' helper in 

devising and doing thoughtful and 

liberal things for this parish, 

of which 

she was a devout communicant, 

and for the whole church. 

Their children rise up and call them blessed. 



St. JamEvS Episcopal Church. 173 

In 1852, the rector's salary was fixed at $200. In addi- 
tion to this he received a missionary stipend of $75.00. 

It appears that the offerings for various benevolent pur- 
poses from April 11, 1852, to March 20, 1853. were 
$221.71, and in this year, 1853, a movement was started 
looking towards the purchase of a suitable organ for the 
church. This met with such fav-or that the next vear it was 
determined to buy an organ at an ex]3ense of about $4-50. 
The Rev. J. A. Spooner, former rector here, offered to be at 
the expense of making the necessary alterations in the 
church for the erection of the organ, and this offer was, with 
thanks, accepted. In May, the next year, the organ was 
fully completed and set up at an expense of $64-1.16, and 
best of all, it was fully paid for. 

In 1855 the Rector's salar}' was raised to $325. In 
1856 the church was re-incorporated. In 1859, at a meet- 
ing of the wardens and vestry-, on motion of John E. Mcln- 
tyre, it was "Resolved, Whereas, in the 3'ear of our Lord, 
1853, a marble font was presented and placed in the 
church of this parish b}^ Mr. and Mrs. William FI. Warren, 
and, whereas, in the year of our Lord, 1857, the former side 
windows of the church which were of plain glass were sub- 
stituted by the same persons with windows of enameled 
glass and colored borders, and, whereas, in the year of our 
Lord, 1858, the former wooden door steps of the church 
were substituted b}^ the same persons with substantial 
stone steps, therefore, resolved, that we, the rector, war- 
dens and vestrymen, hereby gratefully acknowledge these 
benefactions and record our thankful acceptance of them. 
In 1859, the Jane McCrea Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., presented the 
church with a gilt chandelier. This year, also, by the will of 
Daniel W. Wing, the church received a legacy of $1000, the 
income of which was to be applied in perpetuity- to the sup- 
port of the clergy of St. James Church. On Christmas day, 



174 The Fort Edward Book. 

1859, the Ladies' Sewing Society presented to the church a 
solid silver communion service, costing $234. The old ser- 
vice was presented to the Calvery Church at Jerico, Vt. 

In 1860, the missionary stipend of f75, having been 
withdrawn, the rector's salary was fixed at $400, the sum 
of $50 was set apart for the expense of music for the church, 
and the sum of $25 for the sexton, and Mr. Walter Rogers, 
then clerk of the vestry, was requested to procure a suitable 
book and "to enter therein such facts and incidents as have 
occurred in the history of the parish which he deemed 
worthy of preservation ; that he be requested to continue 
this record in the form of Annals of the Parish." If this re- 
quest was complied wnth, diligent search has failed to dis- 
close the abiding place of the book. In 1863, the Ladies' 
Sewing Society of the parish, always abounding in good 
works, altered and improved the chancel at an expense of 
over $100, which expense was wholly defrayed by them, and 
two years later the same society provided the necessary 
money to lay a stone walk from the door of the church to 
the street. 

On the 9th of January, 1867, at the city of Troy, Mr. 
W. H. Warren, for many years one of the vestry of the 
church, died, and on the 18th of that month the vestry 
adopted appropriate resolutions upon his death. Mr. War- 
ren, by his will, bequeathed to the church a legacy of $1,500, 
which was to be invested and held for the perpetual support 
of the services of the church. His children erected to his mem- 
ory the tablet in St. James Church, which is inscribed as 
follows : 



St. JamEvS Episcopal Church. 175 

In Mbmory of 

WILLIAM HENRY WARREN. 

Died in the City of Troy, 

January Ith, 1867, 

Aged 51 Years. 

For fourteen years a vestryman 

of this Church. 

Zealous for its prosperity 

and its constant and generous 

Benefactor. 

This tablet is erected to a loving- father 
by his children. 

The church also contains a tablet to the memory of Mr. 
Warren's wife, inscribed as follows: 

In Memory of 

M A R Y R O G E R S W A R R E N , 

Wife of 

WILLIAM H. WARREN, 

Died in the City of Troy, 

June IS, 1805, 

Aged 45 Years. 

An affectionate wife, 

a devoted mother, 

an earnest christian, and for 

thirteen years a most faithful and 

zealous member of this parish. 

She rests from her labors. 

In 1870, the connection between this parish and that of 
Sandy Hill was dissolved and the Rev. Samuel B. Bostwick 
resigned his charge here, such resignation to take effect [une 
17 of that 3^ear. A call was extended to the Rev. Fen- 
wick Cookson, of Beverl}', Mass. 

In 1875, measures were instituted for building a rectory. 
This resulted in the erection of the parsonage building on the 
Island. In consequence of this an indebtedness was incurred 
of $1,837, which, in 1879, the junior warden. Philander C. 
Hitchcock, paid personally, and the next year Mr. Hitch- 
cock further endeared himself to the parish by the gift 



176 The Fort Edward Book. 

of a new organ to the church. (This organ is the one now 
in use.) 

March 1st, 1881, the Rev. F. M. Cookson resigned as 
rector, and accepted a call to the Church of the Messiah, at 
Glens Falls. Under his charge the church had grown and in- 
creased in every way. The relations existing between him 
and the parish had been the most cordial and his resig- 
nation was a source of sincere regret to all the families of 
the parish. 

March 31, 1881, the vestry extended a call to the Rev. 
C. C. Edmunds, of Gloversville, N. Y., at a salary of $700 
per year, with the use of the rectory. This call was ac- 
cepted, and in May the rector's salary was increased to 

$800. 

In 1882, Walter Rogers, for many years senior w^arden 
of the church and prominently identified with it, full of years 
and honor, departed this life. 

In 1884, Frederick G. Til ton presented the church with a 
furnace, the old heating arrangements having become un- 
satisfactorv, and Mr. P. C. Hitchcock, with his accus- 
tomed liberality, paid the financial arrearage of the church. 
In December of this year the Rev. C. C. Edmunds re- 
signed his rectorship and went to Herkimer. Mr. Edmunds 
was an able, earnest, and efficient laborer in the Lord's 
vineyard. 

March 30th, 1885, a call was extended to Rev. George 
Davis Adams, of Keesville, N. Y., at a salary of $800. This 
call was accepted. Mr. Adams' stay here was brief, he re- 
signing in May, the next year, 1886, and a call was extended 
to Rev. Charles Temple, who, after some delay, accepted the 
same. In 1886, extensive repairs were made to the interior 
of the church and again Mr. Hitchcock paid the balance of 
the indebtedness, amounting to something over $500. On 



St. James Episcopal Church. 177 

June 2d, 1888, Rev. Mr. Temple, after a brief, but very suc- 
cessful pastorate, resigned and went to Malone, N. Y. On 
August 27th, in this year, died. Philander C. Hitchcock, the 
senior warden of the church. His death was a great loss 
to the church, of which he had long been an active member, 
and to which he had been a constant and most liberal 
contributor. 

November 22, 1888, a call was extended to Rev. John 
McKinney, of Long Island City, who accepted the same, but 
he remained less than one year, resigning vSeptember 28, 
1889, and on November 18, 1889, the vestry called Rev. 
Frederick N. Skinner of Hartford, N. C, to the rectorship of 
this parish; this was accepted and he continued until March 
2d, 1891, when he tendered his resignation to take effect 
April 15th. 

Rev. Joseph L. Mcllwaine of Plattsburg, for some time 
after this conducted services, and in September of that year 
he was called for one year to the rectorship, this arrange 
ment continued until his resignation, December 5th, 1894. 

It appears that from Easter day. 1891, to June ,'28 
1892, the receipts of the church were $1,324.74, and its dis, 
bursements were $1,301.54. 

On April 26, 1895, a call was extended to the Rev. 
Arthur H. Locke of New York City, to become rector of this 
parish at a salary of $1,000 per year. This was accepted 
and he continued in charge until May 29, 1896, when he re- 
signed, such resignation to take effect on August 1st. 

On May 26 of this year the semi-centennial of laying the 
corner stone of the church was observed with appropriate 
ceremonies. The sermon on this occasion was delivered by 
the Rev. Fenwick M. Cookson of Glens Falls, former rector 
of this church. Addresses were made by the Rev. Arthur L. 
Locke, the then present rector; Rev.E. L. Toy of Sandy Hill, 



178 The Fort Edward Book. 

and the Rev. E. Ruthorn Armstrong of Lake George. Hon. 
George Scott, clerk of the vestry, dehvered an interesting ad- 
dress upon the early church history and Robert O. Bascom 
spoke briefly upon the early history of the town and village. 

During the rectorship of Mr. Locke the project of build- 
ing a parish house, which had for many j^ears been under 
consideration, began to assume more definite form and 
shape, and largely through his energetic exertions the ma- 
turity of these plans became possible. In December of this 
year Ellen Forbes Bascom and Emily Forbes Kempshall 
presented to the church the sum of $500, being the amount 
of a bequest made to them by their deceased sister, Lucy L. 
Forbes, with directions to them to bestow the same, in their 
discretion, u])on some worthy cause. The building com- 
mittee for the parish house were James G. Kinne, Francis B. 
Davis, Benjamin M. Tasker and Jarvis W. Milliman. Feb- 
ruary 20th, 1896, the building committee were authorized 
to contract for the erection of the parish house at a cost 
not exceeding $4,000. The building of the parish house was 
completed in 1896, and on December 16th, the vestry called 
the Rev. Robert Scott of Dolgeville, to the rectorship, at a 
salary of $1,000 per year. Mr. Scott continued as rector 
of the church until April 12, 1899, when he resigned, such 
resignation to take effect July 1st, 1899. A call was then 
extended to Rev. Ernest Melville of Sidney, N. Y., which was 
accepted, and he entered upon the duties of his cure in 
October, 1899, at a salary of |1,000 per year.- At this 
date, (1903), he is still rector of the parish. 

During the years when the funds were being raised for a 
parish house, the St. Agnes Society, composed largely of 
voung ladies of the parish, labored arduously for the cause 
and were very successful in their efforts in raising money for 
this purpose. The present church edifice is a substantial 
l)rick building, with a seating capacity of about 300. Ad- 



St. James Episcopal Church. 179 

joining it on the north-east is the parish house, also of brick. 
The parish records show that the rite of baptism has been 
administered to 517 adults and infants (1903); that 641 
have united with the church in receiving the rite ot confir- 
mation; that there have been 688 communicants since the 
establishment of the parish; that the several rectors of the 
parish have performed 127 marriages, and that they have 
officiated at 343 burials. The parish now contains about 
eighty families. 

The following named bishops have visited this parish 
and officiated at the performance of the rite of confirmation : 

Bishop Benjamin T. Onderdonk, 1841-43. 
Bishop Alonzo Potter, 1847-48. 
Bishop William H. DeLancey, 1848. 
Bishop WilHam R. Whittingham, 1850. 
Bishop Jonathan M. Wainwright, 1852-54. 
Bishop Horatio Potter, 1855-1869. 
Bishop William Croswell Doane, 1869-1902. 

Following is a list of the Wardens and Vestrymen of St. 
James parish, from its organization to the present (1903.) 

Wardens. 

Bradley, Silas B., 1850,'52-72 Roberts, John, 1844, '48, '49 

Davis, Francis B.. 1890-1903 Rogers, Walter, 1856-82 

Gandal, John F., 1844 Ruggles, Ruel, 1883, '85-88 

Hitchcock, P. C, 1873-88 Wade, Thomas R., 1884-89 

Kinne, James G., 1889-1903 Wing, Daniel W., 1849, '50, 
Piatt, Samuel R., 1848 '52-55 

Vestrymen. 

Albro, Charles, 1868-69 Bascom, Robert 0., 1890-93, 

Ball, William F., 1890 '02-03 



180 



The Fort Edward Book. 



Beach, Charles H., 1844 
Beach, John H., 1844 
Beach, Titus, 1844 
Beverly, G. Curtis, 1883-84, 

'94-97 
Bishop, James L., 1856-68 
Bovee, Joseph, 1850 
Bradley, George, 1873-79 
Bradley, Silas B., 1848-49 
Buck, Wesley, 1850, '52-55 
Carlisle, James H., 1844 
Choat, 0. W., 1849-50 
Coleman, W. S., 1901-03 
Cook, S. B., 1848-50 
Cox, Lyman A., 1849-50, '52 
Davis, Francis B., 1875-89 
Davis, Henry S., 1862-69 
Doolittle, Silas, 1852-53 
Elmore, E. A., 1875-78 
Forbes, William, 1854-61 
Githens, W. L., 1901-03 
Harman, Samuel J., 1873 
Hitchcock, A. F., 1844-48 
Hitchcock, P. C, 1869-72 
Hoag, B. F., 1848 
Howe, William, 1874 
Hubbell, Jonathan S., 1848- 

50, '52-54 
Keating, J. D., 1902-03 
Keeney, Francis J. J., 1856- 

60 
Kinne, James G., 1871-88 
Linendoll, Robert A., 1891-94 
Little, George W., 1876-77, 

'79-80 



Mills, Wm. R., 1844-48 
Morgan, J. J., 1889-1901 
Niles, O. 0., 1901 
Nash, Melvin A., 1853-54 
Olmstead, Levi, 1870, '75- 

77, '81-82 
Falser, Joseph B.. 1862-69 
Parry, John, 1853-59 
Pattison, John A., 1860-67 
Pratt, Samuel R., 1844, '49- 

50 
Piatt, V. M., 1848 
Reynolds, James S., 1855-57, 

'61-62 
Roberts, Charles, 1863-64 
Ruggles, Ruel, 1856-62, '65- 

77, '80-85 
Scott, George, 1885-1903 
Tasker, Benjamin M., 1883- 

85, '87-1901 
Thebo, Philip C, 1880-85 

'87-88 
Tilton, Frederick G., 1881- 

94, 1896-97 
Valentine, W. L. R., 1869-71 
Valentine, William R., 1863- 

68, '72 
VanLoon, Albert A., 1870- 

74, '80-89 
Wade, Thomas R., 1870-78, 

'80-83, '96-1903 
Wait, A. Dallas, 1852-54 
Warren, William, 1852-66 
Weeks, R. C, 1849 
Wells, Caleb, 1858-61 



St. James Episcopal Church. 181 

Mclntyre, John E., 1852, Wicks, Albert H., 1889-97, 

'56-61 1903 

Martin, Henry, 1844 Willard, Henry, 1850, '52- 
McNaughton, Fred, 1902-03 74 

Milliman, Jarvis W., 1889- Wing, Daniel W., 1848 

1903 Wright, William, 1849 
Young, Edwin C, 1867-75 

Rev. John Alden Spooner was born in Charlestown, 
Mass., April 2, 1808. He was a direct descendant of John 
Alden of Puritan fame. His parents removed to Windsor, 
Vt. ; his academic education was received at St. Albans, Vt., 
where he was confirmed by Bishop Griswold. He gradu- 
ated at the University of Vermont, and took his theological 
course at the General Theological Seminary of the Protes- 
tant Episcopal Church. He was ordained a deacon by the 
Rt. Rev. Bishop B. T. Onderdonk, in 1838, at St. Mark's 
Church in the Bower3^ N. Y. He was stationed for a short 
time at Schenectady, N. Y., and later at Fairfield, Vt. He 
came to Fort Edward, Sandy Hill and Glens Falls in 1840. 
His relations with St. James Church were not formalh^ dis- 
solved until 1849; he wns afterwards at Mechanicville, 
N. Y., where he was rector of St. Luke's Church, and after 
that of Grace Church, Albany. In 1855 he removed to 
Baltimore; was a chaplain in the Union Army; in 1866 he 
removed to Beverly, N. J. He was the author of a number 
of tracts and discourses of a religious nature. The Rev. 
Fenwick M. Cookson, in his sermon at the semi-centennial of 
St. James Church, said he was "a rare man, of apostolic 
zeal and self sacrifice, of strong character, fine attainments 
and of real eloquence." 

Rev. Samuel B. Bostwick, S. T. D., was born March 15th, 
1815, at Jerico, Vt. He was of English descent, his ances- 
tors having come to this countrv in 1668; (his father was 
Arthur Bostwick; born in Manchester, Vt., in 1778. and 



182 The Fort Edwakd Book. 

died at Jerico in the eifrhtv-eight year of his age). Samuel 
B. entered the University of Vermont in 1831 and was grad- 
uated in 1835 ; in 1867 Cohimbia College conferred the de- 
gree of S. T. D. ; lie was admitted to the diaconate orders at 
St. Paul's Church in Burlington, Vt., by the Rt. Rev. Bishop 
Hopkins of Vermont, and to the priestly office in the same 
year at Rutland, Vt. In 1844 he accepted a call to the 
rectorship of St. Thomas' Church in Brandon, Vt. ; in 1846 
he came to the parish composed of Sandy Hill, Glens Falls 
and Fort Edward, as an assistant rector. In 1847 he 
became rector of the Sandy Hill and Fort Edward parishes, 
which relation continued until the separation of the two 
parishes in June, 1870, when he resigned the Fort Edward 
rectorship, retaining that at Sandy Hill, which he held until 
his death. In his address at the St. James semi-centennial. 
Rev. F. M. Cookson said, "Dr. Bostwick was a man whose 
character, whose gentle, kindly sympathy for all, whose 
beatific life, were a benediction to the parish and to the 
public." 



The Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Contributed ta}' Rev. W. H. Groat. 

In 1788 Rev. Lemuel Smith was appointed to take 
charge of Cambridge Circuit. Classes were formed under 
the auspices of that Circuit in nearly every village and neigh- 
borhood within its scope. These classes, visited by the 
preacher as occasion permitted, grew into societies, and 
Fort Edward was one of these classes. It was organized as 
a church in 1828, by Rev. Julius Fields, then preacher in 
charge of the societies at Sandy Hill and Glens Falls, with 
fifteen members. 



Methodist Episcopal Church. 183 

In 1829 they erected their first house of worship, a brick 
edifice on East street, the same now occupied by the Roman 
Catholic congregation. In the same year this church was 
included in the Fort Ann Circuit and so continued until 
1852, when the Fort Edward and Sandy Hill Circuit was 
organized, comprising only the two places named. Rev. 
L. Potter was presiding elder, Rev. H. Chase, preacher 
in charge and Rev. J. M. Edgerton, junior preacher. The 
property on East street was now sold and the proceeds in- 
vested in their present property, corner of Broadwa}^ and 
Church street. 

The class leaders at this time were Sherman Minor, J. H. 
Brown, H. W. Bennett, George Harvey, Stephen Farr, F. D. 
Hodgman, Lucius Ormsby, S. B. Lee, L. Bancroft, C. Howe, 
M. L. Tompkins, J. W. Haggard, and Henry Clary. George 
Harve}^ H. W. Bennett, and Stephen Farr also served as 
stewards with H. B. Northup and R. W. Pratt. A. G. Smith 
was an exhorter. 

At the fourth quarterly conference of the Circuit, held 
February 18, 1854, it was voted to request the bishop to 
appoint a minister to Fort Edward as a separate station. 
In response to this request I've v. J. E. Bowen was appointed 
in April of that year, and Fort Edward appears as a sepa- 
rate appointment. 

During the year 1854 the new church was dedicated. 
Sermons were preached by Rev. John P. Newman, pastor at 
Fort Plain, afterward bishop; and Rev. Joseph E. King, 
principal of the seminary at Fort Plain. In December, 1854, 
Dr. King became president of Fort Edward Collegiate Insti- 
tute and has been identified with the Fort Edward church 
from that time to the present. 

In 1855 (June 9th) a building committee was ajipointed 
to purchase a lot and build a parsonage at a cost not to ex- 
ceed $1,750. The committee consisted of F. D. Hodg- 



184 



The Fort Edward Book. 



man, George Harvey, E. B. Nash and S. R. Potter, with Rev. 
J. E. Bowen as chairman. This committee, in September of 
that year, purchased a house— F. D. Hodgman donating the 
lot — adjoining the church, which, with the needed repairs, 
cost about $1,400. The church had cost, including ground, 
$10,000 (the church lot having also been donated by Mr. 
Hodgman) and on this property there was a debt of $1,150. 

The name of Benjamin Pomeroy, a prominent preacher 
of Troy Conference, appears in the records of this time as a 
superannuate. 

The following preachers have been appointed to the 
charge since 1854: 
Rev. J. E. Bowen 
" H. W. Ransom 
" J. E. Bowen, (2d term) 
" J. F. Yates, 
" Se\miour Coleman 
" Sanford Washburn 
" John J. Noe 
" S. R. Bailey 
" G. W. Milier 

Rev. W. H. Groat, pres 



Rev. Samuel McKean 
" Erastus Wentworth 
" W. W. Foster, Jr. 
" Henry A. Starks 
" E. J. Guernsey 
" H. L. Grant " 
" W. W. Cox 
" H. A. Durfee 
" J. H. Clark 
esent pastor. 



The following have served as presiding elders during 
same period : 



Rev. L. Potter, 

" S. P. Wilhams 

" P. P. narrower 

" Desivignia Starks 

" Isaac Parks 

" Sanford Washburn 

" J. M. Webster 



Rev. Samuel McKean 

" B. B. Loomis 

" Homer Eaton 

" J. W. Eaton 

" A. D. Heaxt 

" George A. Barrett 

" J. W. Eaton. (2d term) 



Rev. C. V. Grismer, present incumbent. 
Fort Edward had been included in the Cambridge dis- 



Methodist Episcopal Church. 185 

trict until 1888, when the district was merged into the 
other districts, reducing the number from six to five and 
Fort Edward found itself after the rearrangement in the 
Plattsburgh district, where it now remains. 

During the pastorate of Rev. Erastus Wentworth, April 
4th, 1879, the church was totally destroyed by fire. Rev. 
W. W. Foster, Jr., was appointed pastor at the ensuing con- 
ference and a building committee, consisting of Rev. Joseph 
E. King, D. D., E. B. Nash, M. L. Tompkins, Sanford Smith, 
A. W. Gary and H. W. Bennett, was appointed. Under the 
direction of this committee the present structure was erected 
on the old foundations, at a cost of about |16,000. The 
church is a two story structure and when partially com- 
pleted the lecture room was opened for services. Dr. Joseph 
E. King preaching the reopening sermon. At the comple- 
tion of the entire church, June 17, 1880. Bishop Foster 
preached the dedicatory sermon. 

Under the pastorate of H. A. Durfee in 1893-6, the par- 
sonage was sold and removed from the premises to be re- 
placed by the new and commodious one which now stands 
on the lot. Mr. Joshua Dupy was the builder under direc- 
tion of the building committee, consisting of A. W. Gary, G. 
W. Bowtell, Gicero W. Barber, G. E. Partridge, and H. 
A. Durfee. 

The church now numbers 238 members and eleven pro- 
bationers. Rev. Joseph E. King, D. D., has been promi- 
nently identified with the society for fifty years. I^ev. Gicero 
Barber, a superannuate member of Troy Gonference has 
also been prominent in the work of the church. He is now in 
the 94th year of his age but attends service regularly and 
preaches occasionally with great acceptability. 

The ofliciary, in addition to the above named preachers, 
are as follows ; 



186 The Fort Edward Book. 

Stewards — C. W. Barber, E. C. North, W. A. Schermer- 
horn, A. W. Chapman, A. C. Chapman, G. H. Yates, C. W. 
Bowtell, J. B. Lemm, B. F. Haskin, J. Dupy, A. M.Clements, 
Edwin Mott, Fred Shonts. 

Trustees — A. W. Cary, president; J. J. Griffin, G. H. 
Yates, A. D. Wait, A. R. Wing, George Stevens, B.F. Haskin, 
G. L. Freeman, R. H. Winnie. 

Chas. W. Bowtell, Sunday school superintendent. 



Presbyterian Church. 

Contributed by Rev. J. Harvey Dunham. 

At an adjourned meeting of the Presbytery of Troy, 
held in the village of Fort Edward, Washington county, N. 
Y., on the 17th day of January, 1854, the Presbyterian 
Church in Fort Edward, was regularly organized and its 
name entered on the roll ol said Presbytery. The following 
persons having presented letters of dismission from other 
churches, or passed a satisfactory examination as to their 
knowledge of experimental religion, were duly constituted 
charter uKMubers: 

Mrs. James McCoy Mr. John Mitchell 

" Phoebe McCoy Mrs. Isabella Mitchell 

" Ruth Maria McCoy " Lilly Ann Reeves 
" Lucy E. Smith " Jeshma Washburn 

" Ann Underwood " Catherine Norton 

" Tabitha Parish " Jane E. Taylor 

" Sophia Stoughton " Louise M. Stoughton 

" Mary Finn " Susanna Gilchriste 

" Minerva Rozell Miss Mary Young 

There were eighteen original members, the only one of 
whom now living is Mrs. Lilly Ann Reeves of this village. 



Presbyterian Church. 187 

At the organization Mr. James McCo\' and John Mitchel 
were duly elected to the office of Ruling Elder in the church 
and were ordained to that office on the 12th of Februar}- 
following. A few months later Mr. John Shiland and 
Charles Finn were received into the church and elected and 
ordained to the office of Ruling Elder. 

The place of worship, at first, was the brick church on 
East street, which was used as a Union Church and which 
is now occupied b}^ the Roman Catholics. The first pastor 
was Rev. Edward E. Seelye, a godly man, whose pastorate 
existed from 1854 to 1859. Under the labors of Mr. Seelye 
the infant church waxed strong and was in a prosperous 
condition when Rev. Henry F. Hickok assumed the pastor- 
ate. Mr. Hickok shared his labors with the Sandy Hill 
church and in both places was very successful as a preacher 
and pastor. Mr. Hickok was ordained, installed and mar- 
ried in one year. He was a devout man of God. He is 
spoken of in the highest terms. During Mr. Hickok's pastor- 
ate, which extended from 1859 to 1869, trouble arose re- 
garding the property of the "Union Church building." The 
outcome was the present handsome edifice erected by the 
Presbyterians on the banks of the Hudson. For a short 
time, while the church was inconjplete, the congregation 
accepted the kind invitation of the Baptists, to worship in 
their church. 

Rev. H. H. Neill who succeeded Mr. Hickok was the first 
pastor to occupy the new church. Mr. Neill was a fine 
scholar and a strong preacher. During his pastorate the 
church enjoj^ed great prosperity. Mr. Neill remained for five 
years and was followed by Rev. R. J. Beattie who became 
pastor in 1875, and remained one \^ear. 

Mr. Beattie was succeeded hj Rev. W. B. Stewart, 
whose pastorate continued for two years. Mr. Stewart, 
who was well known in this community, was a scholarly 



188 The Fort Edward Book. 

man who stood valiantly for the truth. Mr. Stewart was 
succeeded by Rev. C. D. Kellogg, who took charge in 1880, 
conjointly with Sandy Hill. Mr. Kellogg was a fine scholar, 
excellent preacher and faithful pastor. With his talent and 
learning and piety he has greatly endeared himself to the 
people of this community. His charming spirit has made 
him a man "greatly beloved." For twenty years Mr. Kel- 
logg labored most successfully as a pastor. The growth of 
his Sandy Hill church had become such that in 1899 he re- 
signed his charge at Fort Edward. 

Mr. Kellogg was followed by Rev. Francis Pierce, who 
served the Fort Edward church for six months as stated 
supply. During his short stay Mr. Pierce imparted much of 
his natural strength and vigor to the church. 

The present pastor is Rev. J. Harvey Dunham, who be- 
gan his labors July 1st, 1900. 



St. Joseph's Church (Roman Catholic). 

Rev. John Murphy of Glens Falls, is said to have been 
the first |)riest to celebrate mass in this place. This was 
about 1861, at which tiine there were upwards of three hun- 
dred families in this town belonging to the Catholic persua- 
sion. In 18G2 Rev. James McDermott (the late Msgr. Mc- 
Dermott) also of Glens Falls, said mass in Fort Edward on 
Christmas Day, and he continued to hold services here from 
time to time until 1869, when the parish was organized and 
the church building on East street was purchased from 
George Harvey. This building was originally erected as a 
Union Chnrch, and was occupied by all denominations from 
time to time when not in use by the Methodists, who had 
the first right to the occupancy of the building. It after- 



St. Joseph's (R. C.) Church. 189 

wards passed into the hands of the Presbyterian church and 
later to its present ownership. 

Rev. Daniel Cull of Saratoga, officiated here for a period 
of two or three months in 1868 or 1869. On the 6th of 
June, 1869, Rev. James P. McGee took charge of the parish 
and ministered to the flock until October 1st, 1875, when 
the Rev. C. FitzPatrick succeeded him in charge of the par- 
ish until 1885, after which the Rev. W. J. Smith took charge 
until June, 1895. Father Smith was assistant in the parish 
for about one and one-half 3^ears before Feather FitzPatrick 
retired. Father Smith died in Paris, June 30th, 1895, while 
on a tour for his health. Rev. M. J. Griffith took charge of 
the Parish August 1st, 1895, and is now the officiating 
priest. 

The trustees of the church consist of the officers provided 
by the cannons of the church, and of two lay trustees. 
Among those who have served the church in this capacity 
are: Patrick O'Brien, John Somers, James O'Brien, John 
J. Linnehan, William J. Downey, John Doyle, John FI. Gan- 
ley, and his son, John M. Ganlc}-. 

The church was greatly improved in 1885 by the in- 
troduction of stained glass windows, and in 1899 it 
was extensively repaired and improved, both on the inside 
and outside of the building, and it is now a handsome, con- 
vement and well equipped and furnished church edifice. 

In 1903, under Father Griffith, a Catholic cemetery, not 
far distant from the Union cemetery, has been established on 
Burgoyne Avenue. 

Michael O'Dwyer was the first sexton, he having been 
first appointed at the organization of the church in 1869, 
and since 1889 has served the church continuously in that 
capacity. 

To Father GriflSth and to Mr. O'Dwyer the writer is in- 



190 The Fort Edward Book. 

debted for much of the information contained in this article. 
The church has a handsome and commodious parsonage on 
East street, which was purchased in 1874. The parish is 
now in a thriving condition, and comprehends about twelve 
hundred souls. 



Baptist Church. 

Contributed by Rev. Irving C. Forte. 

No official records can be found of the history of this 
church previous to the permanent and independent organiz- 
ation, effected January 21, 1818. But from the historical 
sketch printed in the Minutes of the Washington Union Bap- 
tist Association for 1872, prepared by the clerk of the 
church, Mr. Morrill Grace, we learn that earh^ in the month 
of March, 1812, Kev. B. F. Garfield, pastor of the West 
Greenwich (Galesville) church, called on James Cheesman, as 
the leading representative of the Bai)tist faith in this vil- 
lage, to consult with him regarding the ex]:)edienc3^ of hold- 
ing a series of evangelistic meetings. As a result of this con- 
sultation, services were held fcir a number of evenings in the 
"White schoolhouse" on Notre Dame street, since remodeled 
into a dwelling, and at present occupied by Mr. Charles W. 
Dean. Considerable interest was awakened and quite a 
number of souls confessed Christ. 

On the 17th of March, 1812, a few brethren who had 
been invited from neighboring Baptist churches met in the 
schoolhouse. Rev. B. F. Garfield was chosen chairman, and 
D. W. Heath, of the West Greenwich church, secretarv. The 
deliberations resulted in the formation of a Baptist society, 
auxiliary to the Washington Union Baptist Association, 
composed of the following named persons: JamesCheesman, 



Baptist Church. 191 

Nelson Combs, George Mills, Thomas Pike, Lucinda Van- 
Densen, Melissa Hall, Electa Shaw, Isabel Saunders, Clar- 
issa Henderson, Poll}^ Sprague, Lucinda Bovee, Abigail Pike, 
Sally Pike, Emma Pike. James Cheesman was chosen dea- 
con, and the articles of faith and practice, known as "The 
New Hampshire Confession," were adopted. Rev. Mr. Gar- 
field preached for the society for one month, at the close of 
which time it numbered twenty-five persons — twelve males 
and thirteen females. On April 17, 18'12, the society was re- 
ceived as a branch of the Sandy Hill Baptist church, which 
was itself a sturd}^ infant of only two years. 

About this time the "Branch" united with the mother 
church in calling Rev. Solomon Gale to the ]5astorate. He 
served for one year. The second pastor was Rev. Amos 
Stearns, who for nearly four years preached here in connec- 
tion with the First Fort Edward (Durkeetown) church. 

May 1, 1847, Rev. George W. Freeman began his pastor- 
ate, preaching also at the First Fort Edward church. 

January 22, IS-IS, the "Branch" requested letters of dis- 
mission from the Sandy Flill church, for the purpose of ef- 
fecting a permanent and indejjciident church organization. 
These letters were granted, and on January 24<, ISTH — two 
days later — a meeting was held in the "White schoolhouse." 
Pastor Freeman was chosen moderator, and Simeon Mears, 
clerk. The name adopted b}^ the new body was The Fort 
Edward Village Baptist Church. The following persons 
were the constituent members: William C. Miller, John W. 
Miller, George W. Booth, Zina Tucker, William H. Thomp- 
son, Elias Durkee, John McKee, Calvin Lister, Otis Church- 
ill, Morrill Grace, James Cheesman, Simeon Mears, William 
McCormack, William Grant, Joseph Miller, C. VanDeusen, 
Margaret F. Miller, Maria McCormack, Mary Ann Parish, 
Cornelia Forbes, Phoebe McCard, Eliza Shoefif, Theresa 
Nichols. Of this number Zina Tucker alone survives. 



192 The Fort Edward Book. 

After worshiping for a time in the "White schoolhouse," 
arrangements were made with the authorities of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal church — then occupying the building now 
used by the Roman Catholic Church on East street — to hold 
services in their edifice. The period of this joint occupancy 
is not stated, but services were resumed in the schoolhouse 
January 1, 1850. 

Februar}^ 8, 1S48, the church adopted a constitution 
and by-laws reported by a committee appointed to draft 
these articles. The first trustees, nine in number, were elected 
February 15, IS'iS. The board was made up of James 
Cheesman, Morrill Grace, Simeon Mears, Russell Hickok, 
Samuel B. Potter, Elias Durkee, Otis Churchill, F. D. Hodg- 
man, and Samuel B. Cook, the last two named being mem- 
bers of the society, but not of the church. The lejjal incor- 
poration of the church was effected on the same day. 

Pastor Freeman resigned March 25, 1849, and was suc- 
ceeded b}^ Rev. W. W. Moore, of the Sandy Hill church, who 
supplied the pulpit for four months. His successor was 
"Father" Stearns, whose labors for one year were crowned 
with the addition of thirty to the membership. 

The first Sunday school was organized February 22, 
1850, with the following ofl!icers : Superintendent, Simeon 
Mears; assistant, Samuel Stewart; treasurer, James Chees- 
man; secretary, H. C. Marshall. 

Rev. George Fisher was called to the pastorate April 21, 
1850. On the 28th of May, 1851, this church was received 
into the fellov^shi]) of the Washington Union Baptist Asso- 
ciation, in session at Sandy Hill. 

October 6, 1851, it was decided to erect a house of wor- 
ship. A committee, consisting of James Cheesman and Mor- 
rill Grace, after considering several sites, reported in favor of 
the one upon which the present edifice stands. The lot was 



Baptist Church. 193 

purchased and the following building committee appointed : 
Morrill Grace, James Cheesman, Otis Churchill, John Wil- 
liams, Jotham Pike, Charles Osgood and Simeon Mears. 
This committee was given full discretionary powers. The 
building was inclosed, and the basement made ready for 
the first service about December 25, 1851. The audience 
room was not finished until the spring of 1852. We find, 
under date of April 2 of that year, that the building commit- 
tee reported the completion of the church edifice. No record 
is to be found of the date of its first occupanc}'. 

In the month of January, 1852, began one of the most 
interesting series of meetings recorded in the history of the 
church. Rev. William Grant, of Whitehall, was invited to 
assist Pastor Fisher. As the result of four months of evan- 
gelistic services, one hundred and six were added to the 
church b\^ baptism. 

Rev. Mr. Fisher closed his work with the church Febru- 
arv 2, 1853. From this date, for about seventeen months, 
the church was pastorless, the puli^it being supplied by Rev. 
Mr. Eastwood, of Glens Falls, and others. 

September 1, 1854, Rev. R. F. Parshall entered upon the 
pastorate. For one 3'ear he preached a part of the time for 
the First Fort Edward church ; then for three years he di- 
vided his labors equally between this church and Sandy Hill. 
During his four years of service here he baptized one hun- 
dred and thirty-two. September 1, 1858, he resigned this 
portion of his charge and devoted his whole time to the in- 
terests of the Sandy Hill church. 

Rev. B. F. Garfield commenced his pastoral work De- 
cember 15, 1858, and served two years and three months. 
Mr. Garfield's term of service was marked by the reception — 
November 21, 1858 — of the Fort Miller church as a branch 
of this vine. Thirteen persons were dismissed from this 



194 The Fort Edward Book. 

church to form the coiivStitiient membership of the new body. 
Additions from other sources swelled the number to twenty- 
eight. The Fort Miller church was organized as an inde- 
pendent body July 11, 1867. Rev. William Brown, a min- 
ister residing in Fort Edward, acted as pastor for one year 
from April 1, 1862. 

Between Ajiril 1, 1863, and December 13, 1863, Rev. D. 
C. Hughes, pastor at Sandy Hill, supplied the pulpit; and 
for something more than a \'ear following Rev. William 
Brown appears to have preached at intervals, with other 
supplies. On the first of April, 1865, Rev. G. W. Holman 
was called to the pastorate. He served fifteen months. 

The period between January 1, 1867, and April 1, 1868, 
was covered by the pastorate of Rev. James W. Grant. 

November 1, 1868, Rev. H. R. Traver, a recent graduate 
of Madison (now Colgate) University, entered upon his du- 
ties. He was ordained by a council called b\' this church 
January 6, 1869. He resigned at the close of one year. Rev. 
J. D. Tucker served the church from January 1, 1870, to 
April 1, 1872. After being supplied for more than a vear by 
students from Madison University and by various minister- 
ial brethren — among them Rev. Emerson Andrews — Rev. W. 
H. Hawlc}^ was settled as jiastor May 18, 1873, and added 
greatly to the strength of the church. 

July 15, 1876, Rev. A. H. Putnam, just graduated by 
Rochester Theological Seminary, acce])ted the hearty call of 
the church and was ordained here August 10, 1876. After 
nearh' six years of most effective service, in which he estab- 
lished an enviable reputation as preacher, pastor and citizen, 
he resigned to assume charge of the Baptist church at Ra- 
cine, Wisconsin. After this Rev. D. K. Smith was pastor for 
more than three years. 



Baptist Church. 195 

December 1, 1885, Rev. A. H. Putnam, former pastor, 
was eno-aged by the church as a permanent supph' and this 
relation was continued until October 14, 1888. The church 
edifice was thoroughly remodeled and beautified during Mr. 
Putnam's second term. 

Rev. Irving C. Forte, the present pastor, began his la- 
bors on December 1, 1888, and has therefore served nearly 
fifteen years. 

The following members have served the church as dea- 
cons: James Cheesman (before the permanent organization 
and after), George W. Booth, Otis Churchill, Samuel Stew- 
art, Lemuel Harvey, William Grant, Jacob Churchill, Seth 
P. Durkee, Zina Tucker, Charles Osgood, Ira D. Whipple, 
Orlando Hinckley, Wayland A. Potter, Hiram B. Partridge, 
Lansing M. Howland, Daniel M. Martin, David M. Odell 
and William G. Donnell. 

The first board of trustees has already' been named. The 
present board is made up as follows: George E. Rogers, 
president; Warren W. Harrington, E. L. Reynolds, Fayette 
B. Vaughn, George Case, and Byron B. Duell. [oseph Good- 
fellow is the church treasurer. The chuixh has had but two 
clerks since its permanent organization — Morrill Grace and 
David M. Odell. Mr. Grace served fortj'-four years, besides 
several years previous to the regular organization ; Mr. 
Odell has served over eleven ^^ears. 

The present Sunday school superintendent is foseph 
Goodfellow; assistant, Fayette B. Vaughn. 

The Young People's Societ\' of Christian Endeavor was 
organized October 22, 1888. Its present membership — ac- 
tive and associate — is about 150. 

This church celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its per- 



196 The Fort Edward Book. 

manent organization on January 24th, 1898, with most im- 
pressive services. Two former pastors were present: Rev. 
James W. Grant and Rev. H. R. Traver. One event of this 
interesting occasion is deserving of special notice: Mr. Zina 
Tucker, who pitched the tunes with a tuning fork in the 
church services in 1848, acted as chorister in 1898, half a 
century later. 



— ■^^^&A0?P^^ 



CHAPTER XVI. 

FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONRY IN FORT EDWARD — WASHING- 
TON LODGE— FORT EDWARD LODGE— FORT EDWARD CHAP- 
TER—OTHER FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS. 

On the 25th day of September, A. L., 5785; A. D., 1785, 
when the Grand Lodge of the State of New York was but 
four years old, the requisite number of master Masons ap- 
pHed for and received a warrant under which a lodge was 
instituted and given the appropriate name of Washington 
Lodge, No. 11. It was named for the father of our country 
as well as the county in which the first Masonic lodge was 
warranted in northern New York, and Fort Edward was 
designated as the place of meeting. 

Adiel Sherwood was the first master and the communi- 
cations were held in the house of Brother Sherwood, on the 
last Thursday evening in each month, at early candle light. 
The members of Washington lodge, during forty-four years 
inculcated and practiced the honorable and imperishable 
tenets of Freemasonry, extending its benign influence and 
moral teaching to the citizens as well as to the members of 
the order until the da3^s of the Morgan excitement, when 
Washington lodge surrendered its charter. 

From the organization of Washington lodge until 1828, 
the brethren celebrated the festivals of St. John the Baptist 
and St. John the Evangelist, on June 24 and December 27. 

From June 16, 1829, to June, 1852, Freemasonry ap- 
peared to the uninitiated to lay dormant in this section, but 
on June 24, 1852, agreeable to a dispensation from the 
Grand Lodge of the State of New York, under a warrant 
signed by James M. Powell, M, D., grand secretarj^ Fort 



198 The Fort Edward Book. 

Edward Lodge, No. 267, F. & A. M., was organized and the 
following officers installed by W.'. Brother David Wilson, of 
Phoenix Lodge, No. 96, of Whitehall : Cja-us G. Smith, 
master; Henry G. Breese, S. W.; James R. Gandall, J. W.; 
Joseph DeWolf, treasurer; Milton E. Shaw, secretary. 
These officers dispensed Masonic light and knowledge until 
December 16, 1852, when the following complete set of offi- 
cers were elected and installed: Cyrus G. Smith, master; 
Henry G. Breese, S. W.; Edwin Crane, J. W.; Joseph DeWolf, 
treasurer; Walter Rogers, secretary; Caleb Wells, S. D.; B. 
W. Sherwood, J. D., Gideon Carswell and John E. Mclntyre, 
stewards. 

Freemasonry at this time began to revive and lodges 
were forming in all sections of the State and nation. Peti- 
tions were received by Fort Edward lodge from various sec- 
tions asking consent to form new lodges, the first of which 
were Sandy Hill Lodge, No. 372; Salem Lodge, No. 391, and 
Home Lodge, No. 398. They prospered and grew^ and to- 
day, within a radius of twenty-five miles, sixteen lodges are 
at work. 

On January 5th, 1865, Brother Edwin Hill and nine 
other master Masons, residing in Argyle and vicinity, peti- 
tioned the Grand Lodge for a dispensation, which was af- 
firmed by our lodge and granted, and Argyle Lodge, No. 
567, F. & A. M., was instituted and organized with a full 
number of officers. 

In September, 1865, agreeable to the brother's request, 
the remains of Bro. Charles H. Stickney, who fell in battle at 
South Mountain, Md., on the 14-th of September, 1862, 
were brought to Fort Edward and given a Masonic burial 
in the Union cemetery, when citizens and Masons honored 
themselves by turning out and showing respect for the Ma- 
son and soldier who had laid down his life that the nation 
might live. 



Free and Accepted Masons. 199 

At the annual communication of Fort Edward lodge, 
held in Masonic hall, December 20, 1869, the necessar}^ steps 
were taken, under the State law, for incorporation. The 
officers making the application were W..M.". William A. 
Ashley, S/.W.. George Turner, J. ".W.'. David H. King, and 
the first trustees were David M. Odell, Zenas P. Ruggles 
and Lyman W. Montgomery; after said date all business 
and contracts entered into were made by vote of the mem- 
bers of the lodge and in the name of the trustees. 

June 24, 1871, a large number of Masons from this sec- 
tion went to Albany and witnessed the laying of the corner 
stone of the new capital by the Grand Master. January 14, 
1875, a number of our brethren journeyed to Hartiord, N. 
Y., and participated in the dedication of the new temple of 
Herschel Lodge, No. 508. 

On the morning of July 6th, 1876, our lodge room, fur- 
niture, fixtures and many valuable books and records were 
destroyed by fire. The trustees made a new agreement with 
the owners of the building, settled with the insurance com- 
pany, replaced the carpets, furniture, etc., with new goods 
throughout. They were about seven months in accom- 
plishing the work. During this time the fraternity occupied 
rooms with Jane McCrea Lodge, 267, L 0. O. F., in the 
Mott block. 

On the 19th day of February, 1877, the new rooms were 
reoccupied and once more the brethren were in their own 
home. 

In 1883, M.-.W.-. Frank R. Lawrence was grand master, 
when the craft throughout the jurisdiction, were assessed 
$6.00 per capita, and thus paid the debt on the magnificent 
temple in New York city. 

February 17, 1886, the fraternity in Washington county 
celebrated the centennial of Masonrv. The exercises were 



'200 T\u- Vow? KinY.\in> r>ooK. 

held in Bradlj opera house in Fort Edward, where a select 
audience of invited quests was entertained by M.'.W. '.James 
Gibson and l\i.".\V. ".James \V. Hnestis, past grand masters 
of IVIasons t>f the State of New York All ot die lodges in 
this vlv.Mnn V wcie loprcsoutcd at tins nu\-t iiig. 

April 24, 188G, the fraternity in this section joined with 
Sandy Hill Lodge, No. 372. and celebrated with the craft 
throughout the length and breadth of this grand jurisdic- 
tion, onr freedom from debt on oi^r temple in New York, 
tlio large income from which is to go towards the support 
ot our Masonic home iti Utica, where aged Masons or their 
wulows iire cared tor and orpluins are taken, educated and 
given a trade or profession. 

hi ISSIK as the rcsidt c^f the grand lodge assessment and 
other expenses, we found the lodge in debt to a considerable 
auunitit. A summoned communication was called to de- 
vise ways and means to raise futuls, when ihe members de- 
cided to hold a tair, and on December 3, M.-.VY.-.John W. 
Vrooman, grand master, was present, opened the fair and 
addressetl the assembled multitude. On the second night of 
the fair, December -f. Apollo Cotnmanderv of frov. gave a 
Knights Templar drill. The fair was held four evenings and 
was a grand success The good people of Fort Edward and 
vicinity, youtjg atui oKl, male atid female, irrespective oi' na- 
tionality, chmch or creed, vied with each cUher in doing all 
they possibly could for the worthy cause, and the result was 
far beyond the most sanguine expectations of the workers 
or the othcers and members of the fraternity, but it onlv em- 
phasized the power in our talismanic words, tt) wit : Broth- 
erly Love, Relief, Truth, Faith, Hope and Charitv for all, 
and Harmony among all. 

In 1S97, owing to the fact that a satisfactorv lease 
could not be obtaitied of the rt^oms that the fraternity had 
occupied for more than forty years, a committee was ap- 



Imv'i:i'; and At'cM:i"ri.:i) Masons. LM)1 

poiiitod ((> talk with I lie pioiuoUis ol Uu- Mnvlinii 1 s' hlock, 
a huildinu; (Iumi ahoiil to Ik- cMvclotl. On llu- ivpori ol 
tlio roiiniiil IcH- a siiminoiud ooiimiuiiioatioii was hold and 
till- tinslc-cs woic> dircrtt-d lo lake a lease of the looius in the 
north paii ofllu' Ihiid liooi- l\>v a peiiod oltweidv veais. 
when eonipleti'd aeeordmi; to spi-eiliea lions. 

I'Vhtnarv 17. 1 SDS, I he t instees leporLed thai (luMoonis 
wore ready lor ooenpaney, and on Maroh Ith the loonis 
well' soleinidy dodii'atod to Masoiuo nso and |)niposes l»v 
M.-.\V.-. William Sutherland, oiand master of Masons ol I he 
vStnto of New York. R.-.W.. David 11. Kino, doliveicd an ad- 
dress, i;i\in<; an aeeonnt ol Masomv in I'ort IMwaid Ironi 
1 7Sr) to IS'JS, a period of 1 1 ;> veais. 

I'rom theori;anizationor l'\)r( lulward Lo(l<;o lo the pres- 
ent time T)!'.) members have suhserihed lo the eonslihdion 
and hy laws. Ol" this nninber 1 (> !• have heard the alarm at 
llu- onlc-r door .and h.ive liei-n <;ivc-n a Masonii- huii.il, L!OL! 
have (limit ted .and joined oi- lu-eome eh.irlei- nu-nd)eis ol 
other lodges or wi-n- droppi-d from the rolls for one- eaiisc- or 
anolhei, and only three have heen ex|)elled, leaving ;i I this 
wiilint; ir)() in i;()od slandinq. 

Twenty-two of the brethren have been ealled by Ihesnf- 
I'rnnc of the mend)ers to serve as master, as I'ollow^s: 

Cyrus c. Smith,' isr)2-r)a-r)i<-r)r). 

v. |. J. Kinney," isr)()-r>7. 
Caleb Wells,' 1 Sr)S-r>l)-(UM'>2. 
John J. Flint,* ISGI-Oa-Gt. 
W'illi.im R. Ottman, ISGr")-!)!). 
W^alter Lane,* 18G7-()S. 
William A. Ashley,* 18()l)-7(M)4-0r)-i)(;. 
(leoii^e Turner, IS? 1-72-73. 
.' Ilem-y Mel'arland. lS7l-7r). 
Zenas V. Ruj^^les, lS7(>-77. 
James Mickel,* 1878-71). 



202 The Fort Edward Book. 

Oscar O. Niles, 1880-81-99-1900-01-02. 

George Godfrey, 1882-83. 

David W. Murdock,* 1884-85. 

Christopher A. Elmore,* 1886-87-88. 

David H. King, 1889-90. 

John Thompson,* 1891. 

George C. Beverly, 1892. 

vSilas J. Banker, 1893. 

Moses J. Barnum, 1897. 

E. H. Brown, 1898. 

William S. Coleman, 1903. 

David H. King, D. D. Grand Master, 1892-94. 

Thursday, June 6, 1901, Fort Edward Lodge went in a 
body to Sandy Hill and witnessed, with hundreds of the 
craft, the laying of the corner stone of the Masonic temple 
that Sandy Hill Lodge, No. 372, was then building. 

June 24, 1902, was the anniversary of the birth of St. 
John the Baptist. It was also the 50th anniversary of the 
birth of Fort Edward Lodge. At eight o'clock in the ev- 
enino- a goodly number of the craft assembled in the lodge 
rooms and celebrated the half-century mark of the existence 
of No. 267. On this occasion the chairs were occupied by 
past masters and brothers who had been Masons over forty 
vears. An interesting and instructive program was ren- 
dered and a smoker enjoj^ed. 

As a fitting finale to the semi-centennial celebration the 
brethren assembled in the lodge room on the evening of June 
29, and went in a body to St. James Episcopal church, where 
they were treated to a sermon on the life and work of St. 
John the Baptist. 

Fort Edward Chapter, 171, R. A. M. 
March 17, 1860, this chapter was organized under a dis- 

* Deceased. 



Old Washington Lodge. 203 

pensation signed by M/.E/ James M. Austin, grand high 
priest, when Companion F: J.J. Kinney was duly elected and 
installed as the first high priest and held the oflice until May 
1864, when, under a dispensation, a special convocation 
was held and Companion George H. Taylor was elected and 
installed high priest, serving in that capacity until March 
13, 1867. The chapter failed to elect officers in December, 
1866, and on March 10, 1867, a dispensation, signed by 
M.-.E.-. Seymour H. Stone, grand high priest, was granted, 
and on March 13, a special convocation was held when 
Companion William R. Ottman was elected and installed 
high priest. Since the latter date the chapter has prospered 
and done much work. Nine companions, to wit: Russell W. 
Pratt, Oscar O.Niles, George Turner, Christopher A.Elmore, 
William A. Fox, George Godfrey, William A. Ashley, Sey- 
mour H. Durkee and Charles W. Dean have filled the exalted 
position of high priest. 

In 1890 Ancient Craft and Capitular Masonry seemed 
to take a new lease of life by warming the old and infusing 
new and young blood into the arteries and veins of the craft 
and a goodly number of brethren in this jurisdiction have 
traveled the rough as well as the pleasant roads, partaken 
and enjoyed the fruits of their labor, and drank pure water 
from the fountains along the line of their marches. 

There are at the present time 76 companions in good 
standing, 28 of whom are members of Washington Com- 
mandery, No. 33, Knights Templar. 

George Turner,] 

Oscar 0. Niles, ^-Committee. 

David H. King, j 

Washington Lodge, No. 11. 

Washington lodge was largely composed of men who 
had seen service in the army during the Revolution. Early 



204 The Fort Edward Book. 

in Masonic history Massachusetts granted dispensations for 
what have been called "traveling lodges." Wherever a suf- 
ficient number of Masons were assembled to perform the 
work thc}^ were wont to hold a lodge and confer the 
degrees. This statement is partly traditional and partly 
authentic. This seems certain — that at the close of the Rev- 
olution, manv millitary men settled in this vicinity and they 
were then Masons. They obtained a warrant and estab- 
lished a lodge. Among these early Masons (members of 
Washington lodge) were: 

Lieut. Col. Adiel Sherwood, the first master of Wash- 
ino^ton lodge, was member of assembly from the town of 
Argyle in 1784-85, and was supervisor of that town in 
1787; Col. Sherwood was lieutenant in the First Regi- 
ment of the New York Line in the Revolution ; he was 
captain in Col. Malcom's regiment of Levies and also 
in Col. Graham's regiment. He was in command of 
the American troops at Fort Ann, when they surrendered in 
1780 ; he was taken prisoner to Canada. His surrender at 
Fort Ann was at the time criticised by some, but histor}^ has 
justified his conduct. In a letter written to Col. Livingston 
in October of that year. Col. Sherwood says: "I had with 
me seventy-five men, officers included, which was the whole 
of mv garrison ; mv communications cut off and without the 
least hope of relief for some time." He further says : "I could 
have made some resistance, but after consulting my officers 
and some of my most sensible men, I agreed to surrender. 
After our ammunition was exhausted, what men that should 
then have survived would have been massacred b\^ the sav- 
ao^es. This being my situation, hard as it was, I agreed to 
sign the articles, having stipulated to send the w^omen and 
children to their respective homes." Continuing he saj^s: *T 
am in a poor situation to continue in this cold climate this 
winter, having no clothes with me but what I brought on 



Members of Washington Lodge. 205 

my back, and destitute of any money. My men are very badly 
clad and most of them without shoes." He was a justice of 
the peace of Charlotte county, and local records attest that 
he was held in high regard and esteemed by his fellow citi- 
zens. In 1789 the two Washington county regiments were 
divided into three and the second regiment was placed under 
the command of Lieut. Col. Sherwood, to consist of Kings- 
bury, Queensbury and the three westernmost beats of Ar- 
gyle, and the southernmost part of Westfield, as the town of 
Fort Ann was then called. Col. Sherwood resigned his office 
April 5th, 1796 ; he died December, 1825, and is buried in the 
old cemetery grounds in the village of Sand\^ Hill. 

Seth Sherwood, whose name is mentioned as senior 
warden upon almost every page of the early records of 
Washington lodge, was an officer in the Revolution, having 
served as lieutenant in Col. Harper's Regiment of Levies; he 
was an earlv settler at Fort Edward, and afterward at 
Kingsbury. In 1771 he presented a petition to Lord Dun- 
more, then governor of New York, complaining of the in- 
human proceedings of Henry Cuyler, Patrick Smith, Joseph 
Gillette, Hugh Munroe and others. Cuyler, Smith and Mun- 
roe afterwards became notorious as prominent Tories in this 
vicinity. Smith was the first clerk of Washington countv, 
and built what we call "The Old Fort House," on lower 
Broadway. Sherwood says that in 1768, Smith had caused 
him to be arrested, and after the bailiff had got eight or nine 
miles from Sherwood's residence, he tied him with a rope and 
led him to the citv hall, Albany, with his arms tied; that bail 
was refused and he remained in prison nearly five months. 
He refers for character to Capt. James Bradshaw of Kings- 
bury, Daniel Jones, and Noah Payn, the ancestor of the 
Payn family of Fort Miller, and others in this vicinity. 
Among the papers in the Secretary of State's office, Albany, 
is one signed by Sherwood, wherein he states that, 



206 The Fort Edward Book. 

moved by his love for country and the principles of the Rev- 
olution, he resolved to venture his life and fortune in vindi- 
cation of his country's cause. His losses in 1777 were ap- 
praised at upwards of £400. All his property was burned 
and plundered in 1780, and the property destroyed by fire 
was appraised at nearly £1000, and that which was plun- 
dered at nearly as much tnore. During the three 3^ears that 
Col. Warner's regiment lay at Fort Edward and Lake 
George, he loaned to the forces upwards of 9000 weight of 
beef, besides flour, corn and hay, and produces certificates 
from various officers of the Continental army showing that 
he furnished the garrisons with provisions and hay when 
the\^ could not be procured elsewhere. In 1782 the legisla- 
ture was petitioned to make him compensation for the pro- 
visions he furnished, and a favorable report was made upon 
his claim, but there was no mone^^ to pay it. — See also 
page 141. 

Nehemiah Seeley.— See page 140. 

Lieut. Levi Stockwell, junior warden in 1787, was 
in the third regiment of the New York Line, and resided in 
Whitehall, where he was one of the earliest settlers. 

Major Peter B. Tearse— See page 140. 

Moses Martin.— See page 141 . 

CoL. John Williams.— See page 143. 

Stephen Allen was a soldier in the Revolution, serv- 
ing in Col. Blaire's 16th Albany County Regiment of 
Militia. 

Daniel Barber also saw service in the Albany County 
Militia. 

Alexander Baldwin, of Fort Edward, was of Scotch 



Members of Washington Lodge. 207 

descent; his grandfather having settled in Saratoga in 1770, 
and was in the EngHsh army during the French and English 
war of 1759; his father, Cornelius Baldwin, was one of the 
guides for the patriot army during the Burgoyne campaign, 
and he saw service, himself, in Willett's Regiment of Levies, 
and in Col. John McCrea's 13th Albany County Regiment of 
Mihtia. 

Thomas Bradshaw was one of the early settlers in 
Kingsbury, and was supervisor from that town in 1803; he 
was a lieutenant in Col. Harper's Regiment of Levies, and 
also in Col. Williams' Charlotte County Regiment during 
the Revolution and in 1793 w^as second major of the State 
Mihtia. 

Lieut. Manning Bull, of Hartford, was a justice of the 
peace in that town, having been ajjpointed by the State 
government in 1798 ; he was one of the earliest settlers in 
the town of Hartford, and served as agent for the proprie- 
tors when they were disposing of their lands to settlers. He 
saw service in the Fourth Regiment of the New York State 
Line. 

Simon DeRidder resided in Easton and was an emigrant 
from Holland. 

Alpheus Doty kept a hotel in the village of Sandy Hill; 
he died about 1800, and after that his widow kept the 
house until about 1834. 

James W. Dunham, of Northumberland, and afterwards 
of Oueensbury, was a soldier in the Revolution; belonged to 
Col. Blaire's 16th Albany Count}^ Regiment of Militia. 

Warren Ferris was a Revolutionary soldier of Quaker 
descent; belonged to the Third Regiment of the Dutchess 



208 The Fort Edward Book. 

County Militia. He was supervisor, town clerk, justice 
of the peace, and commissioner of common schools in 
Oueensbury. 

Peter B. French was a soldier In the Revolution in 
Col. Wynkoop's Regiment ; he resided in what is now the 
town of Hampton, and was supervisor of that town in 1792 
where he engaged in the mercantile business; he was one of 
the first officers of the Aurora lodge, which was organized 
from the towns of Hampton and Poultney. 

Samuel Harris was an early settler in Kingsbur}^ and 
was town clerk of that town for some twelve or thirteen 
years. 

John Hamilton was a captain in the Charlotte County 
Regiment. 

ZiNA Hitchcock, of Kingsbur}^ was a member of the 
Council of Appointment in 1795, and was elected State sen- 
ator in 1798, which office he held for ten A^ears, and was 
member of assembly from 17S9 to 1793; he was a doctor 
and located in Sandy Hill about 1784; and his house was 
not far from the present site of the court house; he was a 
soldier in the Revolution, having belonged to the 17th 
Albany County Regiment of Militia. 

John Hitchcock was one of the original grantees of the 
Klufsbury Patent in 1762, and he likewise saw service in 
the Revolution in the Second Regiment of the New York 
Line, and also In the Fourth. 

Benjamin Johnson was a Revolutionary^ soldier in Col. 
Harper's Regiment of Levies ; and also In the Third Ulster 
County Regiment. 



Members of Washington Lodge. 209 

Ahijah Jones, of Kingsbury, was an early manufacturer 
at that place, where he had a carding mill. 

Hugh McAdam was a Revolutionary soldier in Col. 
Philip Schuyler's Third Albany County Militia. 

Duncan AIcIntyre, the father of John Mclntyre, was of 
Scotch descent ; a soldier in the Tenth Regiment of the 
Albany County Militia. 

Murphy McIntyre was a brother of Duncan. 

Stephen Mead was another Revolutionary patriot, 
having served in the Third Regiment of the Westchester 
County Militia. 

Isaiah Mead was another Revolutionary soldier, hav- 
ing served in the Sixth Regiment of the Dutchess County 
Militia. 

Mathias Ogden. — See page 103. 

MiCAjAH Pettit saw service iu the Revolution in the 
Sixteenth Regiment of the Albany County Militia, and was 
supervisor from the town of Kingsbury in 1801, presidential 
elector in 1808 and held many minor offices in Queensbury 
where he resided. 

Dr. John Perrigo was surgeon in the Charlotte County 
Militia during the Revolution. 

Charles Robinson had a military record in Malcom's 
Regiment of Albany County Militia, and was quartermaster 
in the Charlotte County Militia. 

Duncan Shaw was one of the original grantees of the 



210 The Fort Edward Book. 

Argyle patent, and he was also a captain of the Charlotte 
County Regiment. 

Benjamin Scott saw service in the Fourteenth Regi- 
ment of the Albany County Militia. 

Henry Sherman saw service in the Thirteenth Regiment 
of Albany County. 

Philip Smith was a captain of theTenth Albany County 
Regiment ; he resided in Cambridge, was sheriff of the county 
in 1796; a member of assembly in 1798-1791), at which 
time he resided in the town of Easton. 

Peter Tallman was a soldier in the Second Regiment of 
Orange county, and lieutenant in the infantry Charlotte 
County Company. 

Lieut. John Watson belonged in Willett's Regiment of 
Levies. 

Capt. JamEvS Wilson was an officer in the Charlotte 
County Regiment, and Samuel Wilson was ensign in Col. 
Wynkoop's Regiment. 

George Jakeway, of Oueensbury, was ensign in the 
Mihtiaofl792. 

Isaac B. Payn, of Northumberland, where he settled be- 
fore the war, was a lieutenant in 1792, and was supervisor 
of that town for a number of years. 

John Vernor was born on the 18th day of August, 1746, 
and died December 1st, 1825, at Albany where he is buried. 
He was a soldier in the war of the Revolution and after- 
wards in the war of 1812, and served as a magistrate for 
several years. He was a merchant and hotel keeper at the 



Members of Washington Lodge. 211 

head of Lake George; he was appointed a magistrate as 
early as 1791, and his name frequently appears in the town 
records of Queensbury ; he was chairman of a public meet- 
ing of the citizens of Washington county, held at Kingsbury 
in 1783, of which meeting Micajah Pettit was secretary and 
at which Dr. Zina Hitchcock was nominated as a Federal 
candidate for senator. He was quartermaster of the 13tli 
regiment from the Saratoga District, of which John McCrea 
was colonel. Munsell, in his "Annals of Albany," says that 
he was a zealous partisian in the war of the Revolution, and 
for a time was deputy commissary of military stores, in 
which station, as well as in all others that he occupied, he 
showed himself competent and faithful. He was buried with 
Masonic honors from his residence in North Market street, 
opposite the Arsenal. 

This partial account of Revolutionary heroes who were 
accustomed to assemble in Washington lodge, would be in- 
complete without mention of Robert Cochran, whose 
name often apjjcars in the records of the lodge, both 
as a visiting member and as filling various chairs when the 
lodge was in session. His remains rest in Union cemetery. 
He w^as one of the most distinguished of the Revolutionary 
partisians, and was one of the seven outlawed with Ethan 
Allen by the Colonial government of New York, in 1774, at 
which time 'he was actively engaged as a leader of the 
"Green Mountain Boys," and was in open hostility to the 
acknowledged government of the colony of New York. He 
came, originally, from Massachusetts to Bennington, and 
soon moved to Rupert, and before the Revolution he was a 
captain and leader of the "Green Mountain Boys." After 
the Westminster massacre, at which the historians of Ver- 
mont claim the first blood of the Revolution was shed, 
within forty-eight hours he had raised a compan}^ of forty 
men, and assisted in conveying the prisoners taken to the 



212 The Fort Edward Book. 

jail at Northampton. He was engaged in Allen's expedition 
for the capture of Ticonderoga, and was with Col. Seth 
Warner at the capture of Crown Point. He was made 
a major in the Revolutionary army by the resolution of 
Congress, and in 1777 was in command at Fort Dayton, in 
what was then called "Tryon County." He served with dis- 
tinction in the campaign of '77, and in 1778 made a hazard- 
ous trip to Canada, where he was sent to obtain military 
information. A large reward was offered for his capture, 
and while on this expedition he was taken ill and lay con- 
cealed in a brush heap until hunger compelled him to ven- 
ture forth. As he approached a log cabin he heard three 
men therein engaged in conversation about his capture and 
the reward ; he remained secreted until they departed, when 
he approached the house and told a woman whom he found 
there, who he was and of his distressed condition. She 
kindly gave him food and lodging and secreted him in the 
house until the men returned and departed again, when she 
secreted him in a place not far distant from the house, and 
there fed and cared for him until he was able to resume his 
journey. Afterward he met the woman and rewarded her 
generously for her care of him during this dangerous season. 

In 1778 he was in command of Fort Schuyler. He came 
out of the war deeply involved in financial difficulties, and 
Sparks, in his "Life of Baron Steuben," gives a somewhat 
pathetic account of the financial distress of this eminent 
man. Later years, however, brought him deserved prosper- 
ity and during the latter part of his life he resided in the 
vicinity of Sandy Hill, and was often a visitor of Washing- 
ton lodge and often discharged the duties of various offices 
connected therewith. He was lieutenant-colonel in the sec- 
ond regiment of the New York State Line, was major in 
Col. Clinton's third regiment of the Line; and was captain 
in Col. Ethan Allen's regiment of "Green Mountain Boys." 



Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 213 

Jane McCrea Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 267. 

Contributed by the Lodg-e. 

On August 4, 1848, a charter was granted by the Grand 
Lodge of the State of New York, to Jane McCrea Lodge, No. 
379, I. O. 0. F., empowering it to transact business and con- 
fer degrees according to ritual. 

August 16, 1848, several brethren, all charter members, 
met in their rooms in the Cheesman building and were called 
to order by District Deputy Grand Master Barker, when the 
following officers were elected and installed : N. G., John E. 
Mclntyre; V. G., William S. DeWolfe; secretary, Bradley S. 
Bennett; treasurer, John F. Willis; permanent secretary, 
George Raymond. 

August 23, 1848, the lodge conferred the first degree on 
W. W. Cronkhite, and Oliver E. Hunter joined by card. At 
the same meeting the following brethren were made a com- 
mittee to draft a set of by-laws for the government of the 
order: Henry Willard, 0. E. Hunter and B. S. Bennett. The 
lodge met every week, took in new members and prospered. 
The motto, " F. L. T.," was exemplified by strict care for 
the sick and needy members and true brotherly love shown 
in attending the funerals of deceased brothers and by the 
watchful care over their widows and orphans. 

On December 1st, 1850, the Grand Lodge issued a new 
warrant or dispensation, signed by twelve grand lodge offi- 
cers, six past grand officers, and attested by the grand secre- 
tary, changing the number of this lodge from 379 to 126, 
which last number was retained until the charter was sur- 
rendered in 1 856. 

During the decade, beginning 1848, the lodge prospered 
and grew strong in membership and funds until the latter 
part of 1856, when, owing to jealousies and disastrous 



214 The Fort Edward Book. 

drain on the treasury for sick purposes, the few remaining 
members of Jane McCrea Lodge, No. 126, met and voted to 
surrender the charter. 

From 1856 until January 25, 1871, Odd Fellowship in 
Fort Edward lay dormant. On the latter date a special dis- 
pensation was issued to a new lodge to be known and 
hailed as Jane McCrea Lodge, No. 267, I. O. O. F. The 
brethren named in the dispensation were Z. P. Ruggles, J. L. 
Woodin, J. E. Mclntyre, H. M. Reeves, J. Patten, Caleb 
Wells, J. H. McDonough, Andes Forbes, W.J. Irving, W. J. 
Whitehouse, H. W. Stoughton, D. Underwood, J. R. Gandall, 
0. DeForest, C. A. Elmore, Seth Parish, J. F. Willis and 
J. F. Weller. 

On February 21, 1871, District Deputy Grand Master 
James Gibson, Jr., of Salem, installed the following as the 
first officers of the new lodge: W.J. Irving, noble grand ; Z. 
P. Ruggles, vice grand; C. A. Elmore, secretary; H. W. 
Stoughton, treasurer; David M. Odell, permanent secretary. 

May 1st, 1898, the lodge removed from rooms in the 
Crane building, which it occupied for a number of years, to 
more commodious quarters in Merchants' Block, on Broad- 
way, which it still occupies. The lodge is now in a prosper- 
ous condition with a membership of 125. 

On May 25, 1900, Hudson Valley Encampment was in- 
stituted in connection with Jane McCrea Lodge, and on 
April 19, 1902, a canton, known as "Canton Fort Edward," 
was instituted 

The following are the present officers of Jane McCrea 
Lodge, No. 267, I. O. O. F.: C. F. Newell, noble grand ; Geo. 
Newton, vice grand ; Harry Hazzard, secretary; Spencer A. 
Washburn, financial secretary; Byron B. Duel, treasuier. 



Knights of Columbus. 215 

Fort Edward Council, No. 336, K. of C. 

Contributed by the Council. 
April 27, 1898, several gentlemen interested, met by in- 
vitation, in the hall of the A. 0. H., in Fort Edward, for the 
purpose of organizing a council of the Knights of Columbus 
in this place. The following officers were elected : Daniel 
Keating, temporary chairman ; James E. Murray, secretarv. 
State Deput}"- Kiley was present and explained the aims and 
objects of the order. The meeting adjourned until the fol- 
lowing Sunday when a permanent organization was effected 
by the election of the following officers : William Rooney, 
grand knight; William Murray, deputy grand knight; M. 
H. O'Brien, chancellor; William Murph}^ financial secretary; 
John J. Kelleher, recording secretary; John W. Stewart, in- 
side guard ; John F. Clark, outside guard ; Alec. McKennon, 
treasurer; Felix Cummings, Albert Senecal, Thos. Stainsby, 
trustees; Rev. M. J. Griffith, chaplain ; Daniel Keating, advo- 
cate; Dr. J. J. Dever, physician ; M.J. Bennett, lecturer. After 
the election of officers the meeting adjourned until May 29, 
1898, for the purpose of installing the council and officers. 
On this date the first degree was exemplified by vSandy Hill 
council, and the second and third degrees by Glens Falls 
council. Fort Edward council started off with sixty-four 
charter members. On April 4, 1899, the council held its first 
grand ball in Bradley opera house. The council is now in a 
flourishing condition with a membership of 96, and is lo- 
cated in Columbus hall, 136 Broadway, occupying the sec- 
ond and third floors in this building and their rooms are 
commodiously furnished. 



Hudson Valley Lodge, A. O. U. W. 
On Monday evening, February 4, 1878, Hudson Valley 



216 The Fort Edward Book. 

Lodge, No. 130, Ancient Order United Workmen, was organ- 
ized by Grand Deputy Edwin C. Elmore, with a charter 
membership of thirty-eight. The first meeting place was in 
Odd Fellows hall, then located in the Crane building, 134 
Broadway, and the first officers elected and installed were as 
follows: Henry McFarland, past master workman; Thomas 
R. Wade, master workman; Charles W. Cary, foreman; 
Ernest M. Elmore, overseer; Edward L. Crawford, recorder ; 
David Whipple, financier; J. M. Reeves, receiver; Fred Mills, 
guide; George E. Whipple, inside watchman. 

The following brethren have occupied the office of master 
workman of Hudson Valley lodge since its organization : 
Thomas R. Wade, James H. Cheesman, Warren F. Gunn, 
Norman B. Sprague, Oscar O. Niles, C. A. Elmore, Dr. C. J. 
Farley, William A. Ashley, David Whipple, Edward Groes- 
beck, George H. Yates, Joshua Dupy, William Ottman, Clay- 
ton N. Davis, J. J. Griffin, and Fred Shouts. 

The present membership is 77. 



Washington Council, 261, Royal Arcanum. 

Washington Council, Royal Arcanum, was instituted 
February 22, 1879, at Odd Fellows hall, in the Crane build- 
ing, Broadway, by District Deputy Grand Regent Laughlin, 
of Buffalo. There were twenty-five charter members. The 
society is what is known as a fraternal insurance organiza- 
tion. Seven of the original charter members still maintain 
their membership in this council, namely: Oscar 0. Niles, 
Northup E. Cook, Edward F. King, Fred B. Mills, Andrew 
J. Mullen, W. L. Evans and C. E. Partridge. Twelve died 
while members of the council, viz: W. B. Thompson, Chris- 
topher A. Elmore, Halsey W. Stoughton, George Satterlee, 
Stephen Braytou, W. M. F. Craft, Silas W. McCoy, Charles 



Royal Arcanum. 217 

Payne, Walter S. Durkee, Lewis W. Sutherland and An- 
thony Shaffer. 

The following have served the council in the office of re- 
gent since its organization: Edward L. Crawford, 1879, 
Oscar O. Niles, 1879; Silas W. McCoy, 1880; Thomas S. 
Lindsay, 1881; Northup E. Cook, 1882; Edward F. King, 
1883, 1885, 1889, 1893; Christopher A. Elmore, 1884- 
Lewis W. Sutherland, 1886; William A. Fo.y, 1887: George 
Satterlee, 1888; W. C. Smith, 1890; Willard Robinson, 
1891; Murray E. Nichols, 1892; Robert O. Bascom, 1894, 
1900; Jonas E. Ekblad, 1895; George H. Field, 1896; 
George P. Barnard, 1897, 1898, 1899; James D. Keating, 
1901. 1902; Irving C. Forte, Jr., 1903. 

The following have served the council in the office of sec- 
retary : Thomas S. Lindsay, 1879, 1880, 1891, 1892, 1893, 
1895 to 1903; Daniel R. Williamson, 1881; vSilas W. Mc- 
Coy, 1882, 1883, 1884; W. F. Potter, 1885; Clayton N. 
Davis, 1885; E. V. Ensign, 1886; Willard Robinson, 1887, 
1888, 1889,1890; Orville H. Partridge, 1894. 

The following have served the council as collector since 
its organization : W. B.Thompson, 1879; A. C. Hodgman, 
1879; Edward F. King, 1880; C. E. Partridge, 1880; W. 
M. F. Carft, 1881-89; Edgar L. Durkee, 1890-91; James H. 
Cheesman, 1892-1903. 

The present officers are as follows: Irving C. Forte, Jr., 
regent; Dr. W. C. Tripler, vice regent ; Seymour H. Durkee, 
orator; James D. Keating, sitting past regent; Thomas S. 
Lindsay, secretary; James H. Cheesman, collector; H. Davis 
Northup, treasurer; H. W. Stoughton, Jr., guide; Cj^rus T, 
Pike, chaplain; S. W. Graham, warden; Edwin W. Colvin, 
sentry; Timothy F. Stoughton, A. H. Fell and Charles S. 
Kinne, trustees. 

Washington council has had a constant and steady 



218 The Port Edward Book. 

growth since its institution, and at the present time num- 
bers 236 members. Since its organization It has paid thirty 
full rate benefits, amounting to $90,000, and six half rate 
benefits, amounting to .f9,000, making its total disburse- 
ments for death benefits $99,000 to the beneficiaries of its 
members. The first assessment paid by this council 
amounted to only $73.43, while the last one amounted to 
$502.54. 



Ancient Order of Hibernians. 

The Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division No. 3, was 
organized at Fort Edward on September 19, 1897, with 
sixty-nine charter members. William Murray was elected 
president; E. P. Morrison, vice president; J. E. Burby, finan- 
cial and recording secretary ; John H. Morse, treasurer. 

The society has commodious and well equipped rooms in 
the Wing's Exchange building, and from its organization 
has had a steady and healthy growth, and at present has a 
membership of 115. 

The present officers are : J. T. Smith, president; Thomas 
Flannery, vice president ; John Kelleher, financial secretary ; 
Patrick J. Curley, recording secretary; John H. Morse, 
treasurer. 



The Fort Edward Club. 



The Fort Edward Club, a purely social organization, 
was effected in December, 1897, at which time the organiza- 
tion was perfected by the election of Hon. A. D. Wait, presi- 
dent; George F. Underwood, vice president; Fred C. Loss, 



The Fort Edward Club. 219 

secretary ; Asahel R. Wing, treasurer. The first house com- 
mittee consisted of Levi H. Wing, Frank P. Case, Wm. S. 
Coleman, L. E. Montgomery, and James F. Corbett. 

Its rooms are in the Merchants' block, on the west side 
of Broadwa}', where the Club has been located ever since its 
organization. The rooms are equipped with bilHard and 
pool tables, and the principal periodicals and some of the 
daily papers are on file, and accessible to its members, and 
their guests. 

Its membership embraces most of the business men of 
the village and numbers at the present about 70. 

The present officers are : L. E. Montgomery, president ; 
Charles W. Bowtell, vice president; Fred A. Davis, secre- 
tary ; James D. Keating, treasurer. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF FORT EDWARD. 

The first fire company to be organized in Fort Edward 
was Old Relief Steamer Company, which was organized in 
September, 1857, with about fi^rty charter members. This 
company had for an engine the old fashioned brake machine, 
operated by hand, and though now it seems an inadequate 
method of fighting fire, nevertheless it did good service in the 
days of yore. 

On May 5, 1874, the board of trustees purchased the J. 
F. Harris steamer, and on the 27th of May, same year, the 
John F. Harris Steamer Company, No. 1, was organized 
with thirty-one charter members. Though the steamer com- 
pany subsequently disbanded, the steamer is still owned and 
operated bv the village, but with the introduction of the 
gravity system of water works it sees but little use. Three 
active and efiicient hose companies, however, maintain an 
organization, viz: 

George Satterlee Hose Company, No. 2. 

Contributed by the Company. 

The George Satterlee Hose Company was organized 
May 28th, 1874, at a meeting held at the oflice of Little & 
Ketchum over the store of James H. Cheesman on Broad- 
way. The following is a list of the officers and charter 
members of the organization : President, John L. Woodin ; 
vice president, Andrew Crane; secretary, James M. Russell; 
treasurer, Charles L. Ketchum; foreman, Joseph C. Russell; 
first assistant, Andrew J. Mullen; second assistant, Hazen 
W. Bennett, Jr.; steward, Edward F. King; C. E. Morey, 



Fire Department. 221 

John Pair, Frank Craft, W. Seth Taylor, O. F. Gilchrist, H. 
P. Cronkhite, Charles E. Cheesman, George O. Hunter, D. R. 
Williamson, T. F. Stonghton, S. F. Godfrey, John C. Hersey, 
James M. Reeves, C. R. Payn, George F. Underwood, A. T. 
Gilchrist, S. W. Linindoll, F. E. Barton, Ransom Pike, 0. S, 
Wilson, E. L. Crawford, William Craus, J. E. Osgood, 
Charles Matthews, John F. Loughlin, D. M. Ruggles, F. H. 
Loughlin. The company continued to hold their meetings 
at the same place for some time, and the name "George 
Satterlee Hose Company'" was formally adopted July 2d, 
1874. 

Early in its history a very beautiful parade cart was 
purchased, and after it had been ornamented, it represented 
an expenditure of between seventeen hundred and eighteen 
hundred dollars. 

The company held its first public reception at the Opera 
House in 1874, on which occasion the hose companv pre- 
sented to Mr. Satterlee a fireman's hat and belt with suit- 
able inscription. Afterwards the compan}^ met in the engine 
house, and later in the Crane building in the rooms now 
occupied by the Keating Printing Plant. 

The following is a list of the presidents of this company 
from its organization : 

John L. Woodin, 1874. 

Edgar Hull, 1875. 

D. R. Williamson, 1876-1879. 

Frederick G. Tilton, 1880-1883. 

Thomas R. Wade, 1884-1885. 

Benjamin M. Tasker, 1886. 

Raymond Pattee, 1887. 

Frank B. Hull, 1888. 

H. Davis Northup, 1889-1891. 

John J. Morgan, 1892-1894. 

L. E. Montgomery, 1895-1903. 



222 The Fort Edward Book. 

In March, 1882, a drill corps was organized with 
Charles Cross as the first drillmaster. He was shortly suc- 
ceeded by the foreman, Samuel F. Godfrey, who devoted 
much time and attention to perfecting the company in the 
performance of various military evolutions, and the com- 
pany became very proficient under his instructions. 

The following is a list of the prizes which the company 
has taken at various times: 

1882— September 9th, Washington County Fair, $50. 

1883— August 23d, Kingston, $250. September 11th, 
Washington County Fair, $50. 

1884— July 4th, Schuyler ville, $50. July 4th, Saratoga, 
$25. July 23d, Saratoga, $25. August 23d, Utica, $75. 
same date and place, special prizes, $75. September 7th, 
Glens Falls, $37.50. September 12th, Washington County 
Fair, $50. December, Schenectady, $50. November 26th, 
Cohoes, $50. 

1885— January 17th, Glens Falls, $25. June 11th, 
Cohoes, $50. July 20th, Ballston, $75. August 20th, 
Whitehall, $75. 

After the death of Foreman Samuel F. Godfrey, in 
October, 1886, the company never entered in a competitive 
drill. 

The present rooms of the company are in Harris Block, 
where large and commodious reception rooms, smoking 
rooms and toilet rooms have been provided, which are 
beautifully furnished, and in which are to be found many 
portraits and gifts from friends to decorate the same. 

The company has always been active in response to fire 
alarms and have been vigilant in the discharge of their du- 
ties as firemen. From time to time fairs have been given, all 
of which have been largely attended and successful in the 
highest degree. The company has been loyal to its members, 



Fire Department. 223 

and upon many occasions has turned out to attend the fu- 
neral of its members and distinguished citizens in the com- 
munity- 



John R. Durkee Hose Company, No. 3. 

Contributed bj' the Company. 
The John R. Durkee Hose Company was organized Janu- 
ary 18, 1877, with the following charter members: John R. 
Durkee, Charles W. Dean, Byron Ensign, Fred Durkee, 
George O. Smith, John C. Tefift, Elbert Ensign, Orrin F. Gil- 
christ, Albert H. Stoddard, William C. Viele, Stephen Sim- 
ons, James E. Taylor, Edward E. Groesbeck, Rodney Davis 
and James Smith. 

The first officers were: John R. Durkee, president; 
George O. Smith, vice president; Orrin F. Gilchrist, captain; 
James E. Taylor, first assistant; Charles W. Dean, second 
assistant; John C. Tefft, secretary; A. H. Stoddard, treas- 
urer; Fred Durkee, steward. 

Meetings were held for a time in the old steamer rooms 
(the present trustees' rooms), when more commodious quar- 
ters were procured in Harris Place, where the company re- 
mained until June, 1899. On this date the company leased 
the upper floor of the Kinne Block, which it still occupies. 

This company began drilling in April, 1882, with A. M. 
George as drillmaster, under the old Hardes tactics. In 
1883 G. C. Beverly took the drill corps in hand and the first 
public drill given was an exhibition on the fair grounds dur- 
ing the fair of that year. Both the Durkee and Satterlee 
companies gave exhibition drills on that date and the prize 
money— $100 — was equally divided. 

Following are the prizes won by the company up to the 
present writing : 

September 6, 1883— Washington County Fair (exhibi- 



224 The Fort Edward Book. 

tion), $25. September 11, Plattsburg, first prize, $75. Oc- 
tober 16, Glens Falls, first prize, $100. 

June 14, 1884— Greenwich, first prize, $50; foot ball 
prize, silver cup, $5. July 4, Fair Haven, first prize, $75. 
August 29, Utica, second prize, -flSO; Merritt prize, value, 
$50; Herald prize, value, $25. September 5, Warren County 
Fair, (exhibition), $37.50. September 11, Plattsburg, first 
prize, $250. October 1, Amsterdam, first prize, $150; 13 
special prizes, value, $160. 

July 4, 1887— Glens Falls, $100. August 18, Troy, 
State Convention, first prize, $300. September 7, Wash- 
ington County Fair, $25. 

July 4, 1888— Plattsburg, first prize, $100. 

July 4, 1889— Glens Falls, first prize, $100. August 20, 
Plattsburg, second prize, $150; special prize, value, $100. 

July 16, 1890— Schenectady, first prize, $100. 

August 21, 1891 — Herkimer, State Convention, first 
prize, $300. 

September 5, 1892 — Ticonderoga, first prize, $100. 

August 19, 1893 — Coney Island, second prize, $150. 

July 4, 1895 — Glens Falls, first prize, $100; special prize, 
(best appearing company), $20. 

August, 1896 — Saratoga, special prize, clock, (best ap- 
pearing company), value, $25. 

Jul}^ 18, 1897 — Whitehall, Tri-County Convention, first 
prize, $100. August 18, Schenectady, State Convention, 
first prize, $300. 

February, 1898 — Sand\' Hill, Paris Hose Fair, special 
prize, Persian rug, value, f 10. July, Schuylerville, (exhibi- 
tion), $100. 

July 4, 1901, Greenwich, first prize, $150. August 24, 
Buffalo, Pan American, first prize, $200. 



Fire Department. 225 

August 21, 1902 — Hudson, State Convention, first prize 
$250. September 3, Tri-County Convention, Mechanicville, 
first prize, $125. 

July 4, 1903, Glens Falls (exhibition), $100. 

Besides the above the company has given twenty-eight 
exhibition drills throughout the state. 

The following is a list of those who have served the com- 
pany as president from its organization to the present time 
(1903): 

John R. Durkee, 1877-81. 
Northup E. Cook, 1882-83. 
George D. Harris, 1884. 
Charles W. Cary, 1885-86. 
L. B. Finlay, 1887. 
Michael H. O'Brien, 1888. 
H. W. Tilford. 1889. 
Frank Fish, 1890. 
George Longdo, 1891. 
W. A. Schermerhorn, 1892. 
E. B. Ashton, 1893. 
C. W. Bowtell, 1894-95. 
George F. Underwood, 1896. 
Charles W. Dean, 1897-98. 
L. B. Field, 1899. 
Clayton N. Davis, 1900. 
Jesse P. Stanley, 1901. 
Ernest A. Smith, 1902-03. 

The late Mrs. William Walter Jeffries, of Philadelphia, a 
summer visitor at this place, was much interested in this 
organization and presented the company with man}' beau- 
tiful and costly presents. The company held her in high es- 
teem and elected her an honorary member. 

The company have an enviable record in the discharge of 



226 The Fort Edward Book. 

their duties as firemen. Their rooms are large, handsomely 
decorated and easy of access. The active, honorary and as- 
sociate members of the company number about 130. 



Leonard Bibbey Hose Company, No. 4. 

Contributed by the Company. 

The Leonard Bibbey Hose Company, No. 4, was organ- 
ized on the 11th of August, 1899, with the following as 
charter members: J. F. Clark, C. Conley, F. Danahy, P. 
Danahy, John Devitt, Jr., H. Downs, J. Downs, H. Dwyer, 
J. Dwyer, James F. Fitzgerald, Benjamin Ford, John Ford, 
Michael Ford, Richard Ford, James Hayes, J. J. Hayes, 
Thomas Hayes, J. F. Kelleher, J. H. Kelleher, J. Lennon, Jr., 
Patrick Murphy, T. Murphy, F. O'Hearn, J. E. Ryan, J. M. 
Ryan, P. A. Ryan, P. J. Ryan, T. J. Sennett, William Sen- 
nett, F. P. Sheehan. 

The organization was effected at a meeting held at Ber- 
rigan Hall, on McCrea Street, at which time the following 
officers were elected: J. F. Clark, president ; J. J. Hayes, vice 
president; P. A. Ryan, secretary; Thomas Hayes, treasurer; 
J. E. Ryan, foreman, J. Ford, first assistant ; J. Dw3'er second 
assistant; James Hayes, steward; T. J. Sennett, James F. 
Fitzgerald, fire wardens; Benjamin Ford, Frank Danahy, T. 
J. Sennett, trustees. 

The building now occupied by the company, is situated 
on the south side of McCrea Street, is a two-story structure, 
the first floor Vjeing used for fire apparatus and the second 
floor for meeting room. The latter is elegantly' furnished 
with leather upholstered furniture, and the walls are hand- 
somely decorated with pictures and draperies. 

The company is named after one of Fort Edward's 



Fire Department. 227 

prominent business citizens, who takes great pride in the 
progress of the companj'. 

On April 15th, 1900, the company organized a running 
team, which has participated in nearly every contest in the 
state since then, winning the following first prizes: 

July 4, 1900— Tri-County Convention, Ballston, $100. 

August, 1900— St. Mary's Field Day, Washington 
County Fair Grounds, exhibition run, $v50. 

September 2, 1900— Labor Day, Cohoes, |100. 

July 4, 1901 — Tri-County Convention, Greenwich, $100. 

August 12, 1901— St. Mary's Field Day, Washington 
Countj^ Fair Grounds, $50. 

September 3, 1901— Labor Day, Hoosick Falls, $100. 

July 4, 1902— A. O. H. Field Day, Glens Falls, $150. 

August 20, 1902 — State Firemen's Convention, Hudson, 
$175. Same time and place. Hook and Ladder Race, $175. 

September 3, 1902 — Tri-County Convention, Mechanic- 
ville, $100. 

July 4, 1903— Tri-County Convention, Glens Falls, $150. 

August 15, 1903, Hoosick Falls, $150. 

September 7, 1903, Cohoes, |100. 

Besides the above the company has taken several second 
and third prizes. 

The present officers are as follows: Thomas J. Sennett, 
president; James Hayes, vice president; M. F. Ford, secre- 
tary; Frank Danah}', treasurer; P. A. Ryan, foreman; Pat- 
rick Danahy, first assistant; Thomas Hayes, second assist- 
ant; Richard Ford, steward; M. F. Ford, John Devitt, Jr., 
fire wardens; Thomas O'Hearn, Benjamin Ford, trustees. 



PART II. 



FAMILY RE:C0RDS. 



Banker, Dr. Silas Jeremiah, born October 26th, 1856, at 
Plattsburgh, N. Y., son of John S. Banker and Rebecca Ann 
Taylor, his wife. Married, September 17, 1878, at Morrisonville, 
N. Y., Seba Ayre, b. July 11th, 1859, at Poynette, Wis., daugh- 
ter of Joseph Ayre and Mary Lee, his wife. One son, Ernest 
Ensign, b. March 1st, 1880, who is a graduate of Cornell Univer- 
sity Medical College at New York, and is located at Reaville, 
N. J. Was educated at the high school in Plattsburgh ; his med- 
ical education was obtained at the University of Vermont at 
Burlington, where he graduated with the medical class of 1878, 
after which he took a post-graduate course at the medical de- 
partment in the University of the City of New York. His early 
life was passed on a farm at West Plattsburgh, and he taught 
school in the winter of 1875 while reading medicine with Dr. 
Bidwell at West Plattsburgh. After his graduation in January, 
1879 he began the practice of medicine in Burke, Franklin 
county, N. Y. In 1883 he went to New York and took a second 
post-graduate course in the dispensary department of Bellevue 
hospital. In February, 1884, came to Fort Edward, where he 
has since practiced his profession with marked success. Belongs 
to Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he is a past master, 
and also to the AVashington County Medical society, of which he 
has been president; also the State Medical society. Is a mem- 
ber of the Baptist church of Fort Edward, and in politics is in- 
dependent. Dr. Banker's great-grandfather settled in AA^est 
Plattsburgh in 1794, after the Revolution, and his father still 
occupies the same land which was then taken up. The family is 
of Dutch descent. 

Barnard, George P., born at Middle Granville, N. Y., May 
15, 1868, son of George E. Barnard and Harriet A. Cook, his 
wdfe. Married October 1st, 1891, at Fort Edward N. Y., to Jessie 



232 The Fort Edward Book. 

Nichols, b. July 1, 1870, at South Argyle, N. Y.. daughter of 
Scott Nichols and Annie Davison his wife. Mr. Barnard received 
a common school education, and was for some years a member 
of the firm of Keating & Barnard, printers and publishers, at 
Fort Edward. After having acted with this firm for several 
years, it was dissolved by mutual consent, and Mr. Barnard be- 
came one of the firm of Starbuck & Co., dry goods merchants, 
who bought and succeeded to the business carried on by James 
F. Corbett, in Merchants' block, on the west side of Broadway. 
Mr. Barnard is actively identified with the Royal Arcanum, which 
society he has served as regent three years ; is also a member of 
the Satterlee Hose Co., and the Fort Edward Club, and an at- 
tendant of the Baptist church. Republican in politics. 

Barry, William F., born July 22, 1857, at Fort Covington, N. 
Y., son of John Barry and Ellen Condon, his wife. Married June 

6, 1895, at Ticonderoga, N. Y., to Nellie DeGardner, b. May 28, 
1868, at Stillwater, N. Y., daughter of Lewis DeGardner and 
Angeline Simpson, his wife. Two children— Frank W., b. March 

7, 1897, and Richard, b. Feb. 2, 1899. Mr. Barry was educated 
in the public schools, and his early life was passed in Fort Ed- 
ward. He has been one of the board of education of the union 
free schools, of Fort Edward, for the past six years, and served 
one term as president of the board ; belongs to the United Pro- 
tective Legion, the Pulp, Sulphite & Paper Mill Workers, and 
is a meml)er of the Roman Catholic church ; a Democrat in pol- 
itics, and at present is a foreman in the employ of the Inter- 
national Paper Mill Company, at this place. 

Bascom, Robert 0., born at Orwell, Vermont, November 18, 
1855, son of Samuel H. Bascom, and Elizabeth Clark, his wife. 
Married December 20, 1882, at Larabee's Point, Vt., to Mary 
Larabee Piatt, daughter of Myron Piatt, and Sarah Elizabeth 
Larabee, his wife. Three children— Wyman Samuel, b. Feb. 14, 
1885 ; Robert Piatt, b. December 29, 1886 ; Frederick George, b. 
June 15, 1895. Educated in the public schools of Vermont, and 
at Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, where he graduated in 
1876 ; was admitted to tiie Bar in 1883. 

Bennett, Harry, born January 29, 1877, at Fort Edward, 
N. Y., son of Albert Bennett, and Adeline Crandall, his wife. 



The Fort Edward Book. 233 

Married in 1902, Grace A. Chapman, b. August 18, 1878, at Fort 
Edward, N. Y., daughter of Albert Gary Chapman, and Alma 
Whitcomb, his wife. He attended the public schools of his 
native town, until the age of 15 years, when he entered the mer- 
cantile pursuit as clerk in a grocery store, and at the age of 20, 
he went into business upon his own account, which he is still 
carrying on; is a member of the Royal Arcanum, an honorary 
member of the Satterlee Hose Co., and an attendant at the 
Methodist church ; a Republican in politics. 

Beverly, George Curtis, born January 26, 1861, at Williams- 
town, Mass., son of Thomas Brigham Beverly, and Eliza Ann 
Curtis, his wife. Married June 3, 1888, at Fort Edward, to 
Frances Niles, b. October 9, 1867, at Fort Edward, N. Y., daugh- 
ter of Oscar Orlando Niles, and Juliet Harris, his wife. One 
son— Dayton Curtis Beverly, b. April 22, 1894. Mr. Beverly in 
his early life attended the public schools, and was a student for 
some time at the Glens Falls Academy. At the age of 9, he was 
apprenticed to L. P. Juvet, jeweler and watchmaker, Glens Falls. 
At the age of 17, he came to Fort Edward, where he began busi- 
ness for himself. He has been successively elected as town clerk 
of the town, as police justice of the village and subsequently as 
president of the village. Is a member of the Royal Arcanum, 
Jane McCrea Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., Fort Edward Camp, Fort Ed- 
ward Canton, Free and Accepted Masons, Royal Arch Masons, 
Washington Commandery, K. T., of Saratoga, and A. A. 0. N. 
M. S., of Troy. He has been actively identified with the Durkee 
Hose Co., for several years; has acted as drill master, and un- 
der his instructions this celebrated company has won many 
laurels in various drilling contests, in which they have competed. 
Mr. Beverly is a member of the St. James' Episcopal church, 
which he has served in the capacity of vestryman, and in politics 
has been identified with the Democratic party. In 1903, he 
built, and moved into a commodious building on the west side 
of Broadway, next to the First National bank, where his store is 
now established. 

Bowtell, Charles W., born October 24th, 1852, at Springfield, 
Mass., son of Samuel Bowtell, and Margaret (Mahoney) Bowtell. 
Mr. Bowtell was married in 1874 to Ann A. Woodstock, of Fort 
Edward, who died 15 years later, leaving no children. Jan. 15, 



234 The Fort Edward Book. 

1895, he was married to Sarah L. Hoysradt, b. November 20th, 
1866, at Fort Edward, N. Y., daughter of Wm. Hoysradt, and 
Emeline Cook, his wife. One chikl— Margaret E., b. August 6, 
1902. Mr. Bowtell received a common school education; in his 
early life he was a telegraph operator, locomotive engineer, rail- 
road builder and news dealer in various New England states. 
New York, and Canada. For a number of years was promi- 
nently identified with the John R. Durkee Hose Co., which 
company he served two years as president, and has also been 
president of the village of Fort Edward. Is a member of the 
Fort Edward Club, attends the Methodist church, and a Re- 
publican in politics. For several years last past he has been 
engaged in the hardware and plumbing business, having bought 
out the business, and real estate of William H. Matthews some 
years since. Mr. Bowtell recently established the Brass & Iron 
works, at Fort Edward, of which he is the proprietor. 

Burns, John William, born February 9th, 1848, at Under- 
hill, Vermont, son of Michael Burns, and Elizabeth McMannis, 
his wife. Married January 1, 1871, at Underbill, to Nancy 
Sophia McMannis, daughter of Patrick McMannis, and Aureilla 
Nichols, his wife. Mrs. Burns was born March 28, 1847, at Un- 
derbill, Vt. Four children— Thomas D., b. September 16, 1872; 
Aureilla, b. July 24, 1874; Mary E., b. July 10, 1878; Emma J., 
b. February 2, 1882. Mr. Burns received a common school edu- 
cation at Underbill, Vt., where his early life was passed on the 
farm; subsequently he removed to Fort Edward, and has been 
one of the trustees of the village, and served one term as vil- 
lage clerk of Fort Edward. He belongs to the Knights of Col- 
umbus; is a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Roman 
Catholic church. He is at present engaged in wholesale wooden- 
ware and grocers' supplies. 

Case, Charles D., born March 31, 1875, at Fort Edward, N. 
Y., son of Darwin G. Case, and Lottie Blanchard, his wife. 
Was married February 23, 1893, at Sandy Hill, N. Y., to Lena 
E. Whiting, b. February 12, 1874, at Sandy Hill, N. Y., daughter 
of Edgar Whiting, and Elizabeth Hartman, his wife. One 
child— Earl D., b. November 11, 1899. Mr. Case was educated 
in the Fort Edward public school, and at the Fort Edward Bus- 
iness College. In early life he was employed upon the railroad, 



The Fort Edward Book. 235 

which occupation he filled for many years; is a member of the 
Royal Arcanum, and of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen ; 
an attendant of the Presbyterian church, a Republican in pol- 
itics, and in recent years has been engaged in the photograph 
business. 

Chapman, Albert Gary, born June 12, 1848, at Hartford, 
N. Y., son of Alfred Ward Chapman, and Jane Louise Cary, his 
wife. Married January 26, 1870, at Poultney, Vermont, to 
Sarah Alma Whitcomb, b. October 24, 1848, in Granville, N. Y., 
daughter of Elias Whitcomb, and Emily Ely, his wife. Two 
children — Grace Alma, b. August 18, 1878, and Albert Earl, 
b. April 18, 1880. Mr. Chapman was educated in the public 
schools of this state, and at the Fort Edward Collegiate Insti- 
tute. His early life was passed on the farm at Hartford, and he 
afterwards entered the mercantile business at Fort Edward. At 
present is in the employ of James G. Kinne, as book-keeper, 
which place he has occupied for many years ; is a member of 
Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & A. M., and also of the Royal Ar- 
canum ; an attendant of the Methodist church, and a Republican 
in politics. 

Cheesman, James H., born April 8, 1837, at Fort Edward, 
N. Y., son of James Cheesman, and Olive Ives, his wife. Mar- 
ried May 22, 1860, at Jackson, N. Y., to Sarah S. Wright, b. Oc- 
tober 20, 1836, at Jackson, N. Y., daughter of George Wright, 
and Lavendee (Woodard) Wright. Two children— Caroline E., 
b. March 1, 1861, and James Earl, b. February 25, 1862. Mr. 
Cheesman received a common school education, and his early life 
was passed at this place where he was employed as clerk for his 
father and Edwards, Hubbell & Co., He has been repeatedly 
honored by his townsmen, by election to the office of town clerk, 
and has also been clerk of the village of Fort Edward for several 
years. He has been actively identified with the Ancient Order 
of United Workmen, and also with the Royal Arcanum, both of 
which fraternal orders have elected him to responsible positions ; 
is a member of the Presbyterian church, and has been one of 
its trustees for many years. He has also been a director of the 
First National bank, of Fort Edward, for a number of years. 
While he has generally been nominated for political offices by 
the Democratic party, he has always been independent in the 
exercises of the elective franchise. Since 1865 he has been en- 



236 The Fort Edward Book. 

gaged in the keeping of a book-store and news room, on Broad- 
way, nearly opposite the present post-office. 

Clark, Thomas P., born May 1, 1853, at Fort Edward, N. Y., 
son of Peter Clark, and Margaret McMahon, his wife. Married 
April 26, 1887, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to Catherine Loughlin, 
daughter of John Loughlin, and Catherine Mehan, his wife. 
Was educated in the public schools at Fort Edward; some years 
ago entered the hotel business and built the Fort Edward House, 
near the R. R. station where he has established a large and profit- 
able business. Has been elected by his fellow citizens to the 
office of village trustee, which office he held from 1894 to 1897, 
and has also been appointed a member of the board of health, 
of which board he is now the president ; is a member of the Royal 
Arcanum, and a Republican in politics, and identified with the 
Roman Catholic church. 

Coleman, Willlvm Spencer, born June 23, 1865, at Claren- 
don, N. Y., son of Simeon Dewitt Coleman, and Sarah A. Bates, 
his wife. Married December 21, 1898, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to 
Mabel Helen Gailey, b. March 27, 1880, at Schuylerville, N. Y., 
daughter of Joseph W. Gailey, and Jennie E. Havens, his wife. 
One child— William Spencer, Jr., b. February 24, 1903. Mr. 
Coleman was educated in the common schools, and Brockport 
Normal school, and afterwards was graduated from the Albany 
Normal College ; after that he studied and received the degree 
of Ph. B. at Mt. Hope College, Ohio. His early life was passed 
in working on a farm, and in teaching school winters ; is a mem- 
ber of Fort Edward lodge, F. & A. M., Fort Edward Chapter, 
R. A. M., Washington Commandery, K. T., of Saratoga, and A. 
A. 0. N. M. S., of Troy, N. Y. ; a member of the Episcopal 
church and has been one of its vestrymen for several years ; is a 
Republican in politics, and is principal of the public schools of 
Fort Edward. 

CoNLEY, Thomas, born January 27, 1848, at Whitehall, N. Y. 
Married at Glens Falls, N. Y., to Frances Hutchinson, b. at 
Fort Ann, N. Y. She died July 20, 1886. On September 29, 
1888, Mr. Conley married Sarah Lennon, at Fort Edward, b. 
March 22, 1863. By first marriage, two children were born- 
May, of Bellows Fails, Vt., and Charles H., of Norfolk, N. Y. 



The Fort Edward Book. 237 

Mr. Conley received a common school education and a large 
part of his early life was spent in the copper mines of Michigan, 
and in the iron mines, of New York state ; is a member of the 
Laborers' Protective union, an attendant of the Roman Cath- 
olic church, and of Democratic political affiliations. For a num- 
ber of years past he has been employed as janitor of the public 
schools, and in 1901, was elected one of the trustees of the 
village of Fort Edward for two years. 

Crane, Edwin, born September 26, 1804, at Charlton, Sara- 
toga county, N. Y., son of Timothy Crane, and Esther Bruen, 
his wife. Married September 26, 1831, at Sandy Hill, N. Y., to 
Mary Parish, b. August 22, 1806, at Moreau, N. Y., daughter of 
Henry T. Parish, and Tabiatha Cutler, his wife. Children- 
Esther Crane, b. December 7, 1832, died January, 1902; Julia 
Crane, b. December 9, 1834 ; John Crane, b. December 26, 1836, 
died in 1872 : George Crane, b. December 8, 1838 ; Andrew Crane, 
b. March 8, 1841, and died 1901 ; Eliza Crane, b. October 2, 1843, 
and Harriet Crane, b. May 25, 1846. Mr. Crane was for many 
years a justice of the peace, of the town of Fort Edward, the 
duties of which office he discharged with nuich fidelity. He 
was attached to the principles of the Republican party, and was 
an exemplary citizen. Died November 4, 1888. 

Davis, Russell C, born December 21, 1829, at Hartford, N. 
Y., son of Hezekiah Davis, and Sarah Cotton, his wife. His 
early life was passed at Hartford ; he went to Troy in 1874, mar- 
ried Betsey Ann Covell, daughter of Gen. AVilliam Covell, and 
Louisa, his wife. Two children— Julia Ida, and Clayton N. Mr. 
Davis came to Fort Edward, from Troy, and lived here at the 
time of his death ; was supervisor of his native town, and he held 
many public offices after coming to Fort Edward, where he died 
May 16, 1894, much esteemed and respected. His wife died 
JuAe 25, 1894. 

Davis, Clayton Northup. born July 8, 1854, at Hartford, N. 
Y., son of Russel Cotton Davis, and Betsey Ann Covell, his wife. 
Married December 21, 1875, at Troy, N. Y., Lucy Ann Groesbeck, 
b. October 13. 1854, at Waterford, N. Y., daughter of Peter B. 
Groesbeck, and Amanda Fisher, his wife. Four children— Anna 



238 The Fort Edward Book. 

Elizabeth, b. March 4, 1878 ; Frederick Russel, b. September 25, 
1884; May Ida, b. May 1st, 1889; Richard Clayton, b. Septem- 
ber 22, 1894. Mr. Davis was educated in the public schools, and 
at the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute. His early life was 
passed at Hartford, and Troy, N. Y. ; has been elected one of the 
trustees of the village of Fort Edward, belongs to Fort Edward 
Lodge, F. & A. M., Fort Edward Chapter, R. A. M., Washington 
Commandery, K. T., of Saratoga ; Oriental Temple, A. A. 0. N. 
M. S., of Tro}"- ; Royal Arcanum, Ancient Order of United Work- 
men, Fort Edward Club ; an honorary member of the Durkee 
Hose Co., and a life member of the New York State Firemen's 
Association, a Republican in his political affiliations. At pres- 
ent is engaged, as he has been for a number of years, in the 
manufacture of shirts and shirt waists at this place. 

Davis, Fred. A., born March 15, 1863, at Adirondack, N. Y., 
son of Milo Davis, and Harriet E. Shedd, his wife. Married Feb- 
ruary 16, 1887, at Albany, N. Y., to Margaret Armsby, b. at Al- 
bany, daughter of Edward Armsby, and Margaret Carmody, his 
wife. Two children— Fred A. Jr., b. June 18, 1890, and Kathryn 
A., b. October 21, 1893. Mr. Davis was educated in the public 
schools of Fort Edward, where his early life was spent ; has been 
twice treasurer of the village, and is a Republican in politics; 
is financier of Hudson Valley Lodge, 130, A. 0. U. W., secretary 
of the Fort Edward Club, treasurer of the Satterlee Hose Co., 
and a life member of the State Fireman's Association. He has 
for many years been engaged in the business of book selling, and 
manager of the Western Union Telegraph Co., at this place. 

Davis, Francis Breese, born June 17, 1843, at Moreau, N. Y., 
son of Henry Leonard Davis and Mary Davenport Breese, his 
wife. Married December 5, 1878, at Fort Edward, N. Y., Julia 
Underwood, b. September 10, 1853, at Fort Edward, daughter of 
David Underwood, and Hannah Waring, his wife. Two children 
— Francis Breese, b. September 16, 1883, and Josephine, b. July 
3, 1888. Mr. Davis was educated in the public schools and 
academies of this state. His early life was passed on a farm 
and as a drug clerk, and during the Rebellion in the U. S. Navy ; 
he conducted a drug store at Fort Edward, from 1867 to 1895. 
Mr. Davis was for several years treasurer of the board of water 
commissioners, of Fort Edward, and is a member of the Masonic 
order and of the Royal Arcanum. He is junior warden of St, 



The Fort Edward Book. 239 

James' Episcopal church, and a Republican in politics. At 
present resides in the town of Moreau, where he has lived since 
retiring from business in this village in 1895. 

Dean, Cpiarles W., born May 28, 1854, at Greenwich, N. Y., 
son of Lorenzo Dean, and Jane C. Baker, his wife. Married first, 
March 23, 1878, at Fort Edward, Christie Ann Gilbert, b. in 
1858, at Hadley, N. Y., daughter of Henry Gilbert and Martha 
Gailey, his wife. She died in 1885. He married a second time 
May 12, 1888, at Cossayuna, N. Y., Maggie Coon, b. at Cossayuna 
in 1855, daughter of Alexander R. Coon, and Elizabeth Mickle, 
his wife. Of the first marriage there were five children— Lorenzo 
C, b. January 28, 1879; Myrtle A., b. September 21, 1880; Jen- 
nie, b. November 8, 1881 ; Martha, b. March 8, 1884, and Grace, 
b. July 10, 1886, all of whom are dead excepting Lorenzo and 
Martha. Mr. Dean received a common school education. In 
1856 his people moved from Greenwich to Fort Edward, where 
he has since resided, excepting a few years at Glens Falls; 
learned the painting and paper hanging trade at an early age; 
has been for many years one of the police officers of the town 
of Fort Edward, and has been deputy sheriff of the county of 
Washington ; he was chief engineer of the fire department, pres- 
ident of the Tri-County Fireman 's Association ; trustee and mar- 
shal of Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. M. ; high priest of Fort 
Edward Chapter, R. A. M. ; member of Washington Command- 
ery, No. 33, Knights Templars, Saratoga; Fort Edward Club; 
was one of the charter members of the Durkee Hose Co., and has 
held every office in this organization excepting that of secretary ; 
is at present one of the fire wardens of the village. Is a Repub- 
lican and has been somewhat prominently identified in politics, 
having had the honor of naming the delegates at the Republican 
town caucus. 

Deforest. Alfred Edgar, born at Fort Edward, N. Y., son 
of Edgar DeForest, and Ann Maria Sherman, his wife. Edu- 
cated in the public schools of Fort Edward, and at Fort Edward 
Collegiate Institute. In early life he was employed as a clerk 
in the store of S. W. McCoy, and for a number of years was in 
the employ of George H. Taylor. Held the office of village 
trustee for three years, was treasurer of the village for three 
years, has been a "member of the board of education in the vil- 



240 The Fort Edward Book. 

lage of Fort Edward for 15 years. Is a director of the First 
National bank of Fort Edward, and The Glens Falls Trust 
Co. ; a member of the Fort Edward Club, Royal Arcanum, one of 
the charter members of the John R. Durkee Hose Co., and was 
one of the organizers of the Fort Edward Electric Light Co. 
For sixteen years he was engaged in the furniture and under- 
taking business with his father, Edgar DeForest, and upon his 
death in 1896, succeeded to the business, which he now carries on 
at his store on the west side of Broadway. 

Dunham, Rev. James Harvey, pastor of the Presbyterian 
church at Fort Edward, born at Jackson, Washington county, N. 
Y., November 19th, 1872, son of Henry Dunham, and Sarah 
Elizabeth Hillman, his wife. Rev. Mr. Dunham was educated 
at the Cambridge Washington Academy at Cambridge, N. Y., 
where he graduated in 1890, after which he graduated at the 
Cambridge union school, when he entered Union College, grad- 
uating with the degree of A. B. in 1896, after which he took a 
theological course at Princeton Seminary, and graduated in 
1899. He won a prominent position during his term at college, 
being vice-president of his class, and member of the Phi Gamma 
Delta fraternity, X chapter; in his senior year was president 
of the Philomathean Debating Society at Union College; is a 
member of Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & A. M. His early life 
was spent in his native town of Jackson and the neighboring 
town of Cambridge. After completing his theological course 
he was called to the pastorate of the Presbyterian church at Ches- 
tertown, N. Y., where he remained one year, when he accepted 
a call to a wider field of usefulness, from the Presbyterian church 
at Fort Edward, in July, 1900. His political affiliations have 
been with the Republican party. Mr. Dunham is a descendant, 
upon his mother's side, of the Mayflower Pilgrims, and his fore- 
fathers were among the first settlers around the Jackson lakes, 
where four generations have been born upon the same home- 
stead, on "Dunham Hill," the original farm which they still 
own. 

Englander, Samuel, born May 4, 1840, at Sandberg, Posen, 
Germany, son of Abram Englander, and Rosa Wolfe, his wife. 
Married September 1, 1874, at Troy, N. Y., to Esther Cohen, b. 
February 4, 1851, at Troy, N. Y., daughter of Isaac Cohen, and 



The Fort Edward Book. 241 

Hannah Provetsar, his wife. Three children— Harry S., b. Sep- 
tember 5, 1875 ; R. Lena, b. November 10, 1878, both at Hartford, 
N. Y., and Nathaniel S., b. November 14, 1880, at Fort Edward, 
N. Y. ]Mr. Engiander was edncatd in the public schools of 
Germany, and for a number of years was engaged in trade at 
Ilartfork, Washington county, N. Y. ; removed to Fort Edward, 
April 3, 1880, where he established himself in the merchant tail- 
oring and clothing business in connection with Samuel Oppen- 
heim, the firm being known as Engiander & Oppenheim, until 
the death of Mr. Oppenheim, after which he carried on the bus- 
iness himself. He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Hart- 
ford, N. Y., the I. 0. F. S. of I., of Troy, N. Y. ; Royal Arca- 
num, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and of Fort Edward 
Club. He is a member of the Jewish faith. 

Finn, William, born 1776; died 1841; married Mary, daugh- 
ter of Major Peter B. Tearse. Eleven children. 1— Peter T., 
b. 1809, d. 1859; m. Mary, daughter of Leonard Cozzens. of 
Easton; six children— John L., Gorton, William, Catherine A. 
Mary, m. Silas S. Ilubbell ; and Elizabeth A., m. George Scott. 
2_Catherine, b. 1804; d. 1867; m. Dr. W. S. Norton; one child— 
Katherine. 3— Mary, b. 1818; d. 1886; m. James R. Gandal, b. 
1811 ; d. 1895 ; seven children— Mary Ann, Mary Frances, Jose- 
phine Margaret, James F., William F., John F., Josephine. 4— 
George, b. 1813; d. 1856. 5-Charles, b. 1815; d. 1888; m. Fan- 
nie, daughter of Isaac Collins, of West Troy. 6— Margaret, b. 
1827; d. 1851, m. Jacob Philips. 7— Norman. 8— John, m. Miss 
Joslin, of Waterford. 9- Augustus. 10— Stephen B., b. 1803; 
d. 1854. 11— William F., b. 1812; d. 1841. AVilliam Finn had a 
brother, Archibald, a furrier, who located in New York City. 

Fitzgerald, James Francis, born April 16, 1878, at Wills- 
boro, N. Y., son of Michael Fitzgerald, and Hannah Haley, his 
wife. Married June 2, 1902, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to Caroline 
Leonard, b. June 2, 1878, at Fort Edward, N. Y., the daughter 
of Patrick Leonard, and Marion Snow, his wife. Mr. Fitzger- 
ald received a common school education, and in early life was 
engaged in the manufacture of cigars, and later became an em- 
ploye in the paper business. In 1901 and 1902 was president 
of the Laborers' Protective union, and in 1902 was national rep- 
resentative of the Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers, which 



242 The Fort Edward Book. 

office he has since held. In 1902 was elected collector of the 
village of Fort Edward ; was one of the charter members of the 
Bibbey Hose Co., Fort Edward Council, No. 336, Knights of Col- 
umbus; also of Division No. 3, Ancient Order of Hibernians; 
attends the Roman Catholic church, and is independent in 
politics. He has been instrumental in the settlement of several 
labor strikes, in this part of the state. 

Forte, Irving C, Jr., born November 24, 1870, at Cazenovia, 
N. Y., son of Irving C. Forte, and Emily Stimson, his wife. 
Married October 12, 1893, at Fort Edward, N. Y., Carrie D. Mc- 
Dougall, b. at Argyle, daughter of Duncan McDougall, and Eliza- 
beth McNeil, his wife. One child— D. Everett, b. December 8, 
1895. Was educated in the public schools of this state. Early in 
life he learned the printing trade at Schuylerville, N. Y., and 
was afterwards employed at the same occupation at Platts- 
burgh, and at Sandy Hill, N. Y. ; is a member of the Royal Arca- 
num, of which organization he is at present Regent; also one of 
the directors of the Satterlee Hose Co. ; is an attendant at the 
Baptist church ; a Republican in politics, and at present is man- 
ager of the Washington County Advertiser. 

Ganley, John H., born at Argyle, N. Y., in 1844, son of Wil- 
liam Ganley, and Elizabeth McGann, his wife. Married in 1875, 
at Kingsbury, N. Y., to Frances E. O'Connor, b. 1844, daughter 
of Patrick O'Connor, and Mary Bannon, his wife. Three chil- 
dren—John M., b. 1877; Frances L., b. 1882; and Albert C, b. 
1884. Mr. Ganley was educated in the public schools of Fort 
Edward, where his early life was spent. At the age of 17 he 
began clerking in the store of Gorge Clements, located where the 
Hotel Hudson now stands. In 1870, he started in the mercantile 
business in connection with James Lawler. This partnership 
was carried on for three years, when it was dissolved, Mr. Gan- 
ley taking his brother, Wm. F. Ganley, as a partner, and con- 
tinuing the business in the village of Fort Edward until his 
death, January 31, 1903. He was collector of tolls five years, 
treasurer and trustee of the village of Fort Edward four years. 
On March 24, 1890, he was appointed superintendent of section 
2, of the Champlain canal, which position he held for five years; 
was a charter member of the Knights of (yolumbus of Sandy 
Hill, N. Y., member of the Roman Catholic church, and for many 



The Fort Edward Book. 243 

years treasurer and trustee of St. Joseph's church of Fort Ed- 
ward, and one of the leading Democrats of this section of the 
county. 

GooDFELLOw, JosEPH, bom July 1, 1858, at Malta, N. Y., son 
of Thaddeus E. Goodfellow, and Catherine Johnson, his wife. 
Maried December 24, 1884, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to E. Kath- 
lene Odell, b. February 14, 1859, at Fort Edward, N. Y., daugh- 
ter of David M. Odell, and Cornelia Bristol, his wife. One 
daughter— Ethel M., b. May 30, 1889. Mr. Goodfellow received 
a common school education, and at one time was part owner 
and superintendent of the Fort Edward Machine Works, which 
business he afterwards sold out, and engaged in the manufac- 
ture of w^ood pulp ; has been president of the village of Fort 
Edward two terms ; belongs to the Royal Arcanum, Ancient 
Order of United Workmen, and Fort Edward Club ; is a member 
of the Baptist church, and attached to the principles of the 
Democratic party ; is president of the St. George Pulp and 
Paper Co. ; a director of the Glens Falls Trust Co., and of the 
Schroon River Pulp and Paper Co., of which latter company he 
was, for several years, general manager. 

GiTHENs, Dr. William Louis, born October 3, 1869, at Canton, 
New Jersey, son oi George A. Githens, and Martha Mulford, his 
wife. Was educated at the Salem high school in New Jersey, 
and afterwards studied dentistry at the Philadelphia Dental 
College where he was graduated ; began the practice of his pro- 
fession in this village in 1895. Is a member of Fort Edward 
Lodge, 267, F. & A. M., Fort Edward Chapter, 171, R. A. M., 
and also of Washington Commandery, 33, K. T., of Saratoga: 
belongs to the Episcopal church, of which he has been elected 
vestryman ; a Republican in politics. 

Griffith, Rev. Michael Joseph, LL. D., born in Wilmington, 
Delaware, the son of Joseph Griffith, and Margaret O'Brien, his 
wife. Was educated at St. Mary's College, at St. John's Uni- 
versity, Fordham, where he graduated in the class of 1866. In 
1898 he received the degree of LL. D., from St. John's LTniver- 
sity. His early life was passed in AVilmington until he entered 
the ministry, thirty-four years ago ; was ordained by Bishop Con- 
roy of the Diocese of Albany, in 1866. His first charge was as 



244 The Fort Edward Book. 

assistant pastor at St. John's, Albany, after which he was 
pastor in full charge of St. Joseph's chnrch at Deposit, Broome 
county, N. Y. ; this charge also included Hancock, French Settle- 
ment, and Delhi, a circuit of forty-five miles. At Hancock he 
built the St. James' church. He was then located at Carthage, 
Jefferson county, N. Y., and then at St. John's church, Valatie, 
N. Y. This latter charge included Steuyvessant Falls, Steuyves- 
sant Landing, Maiden Bridge and Castleton, a circuit of twenty- 
five miles. Dr. Griffith came to Fort Edward in August, 1893, 
as pastor of St. Joseph's church, where he succeeded Rev. Wil- 
liam Smith. Under his ministration the parish has grown and 
prospered, and the church remodeled and substantially improved 
in 1899. Besides being a successful clergyman he is an author 
of note in religious writings, his two principal works being ' ' The 
Mystery Solved, ' ' an interpretation of the apocalypse ; and ' ' The 
Cross of Christ," a treatise on Christianity, besides numerous 
essays for newspaper and periodicals. Dr. Griffith is chaplain 
of the Knights of Columbus, and in politics gives his suffrage 
according to the merits of the men, and of the questions sub- 
mitted for the consideration of the public. 

Groesbeck, Edward E., born March 9, 1842, at Kingsbury, 
son of Hugh W. Groesbeck, and Tamerson Rich, his wife. Mar- 
ried April 26, 1866, at Fort Ann, to Elizabeth M. Eastman, b. 
August 22. 1844, at Fort Ann, daughter of Charles Eastman, and 
Susan A. Burgess, his wife. Was educated in the public schools 
and the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute. At an early date 
was thrown upon his own resources, and at the age of 20, had 
learned the carpenter's trade. He early became interested in 
the Fort Edward fire department, and was foreman of the En- 
gine Co., at a time when "Old Relief" was the only apparatus 
the village possessed for fighting fire ; was afterwards appointed 
chief of the department, and in 1902, was elected president of the 
village of Fort Edward; is a member of Jane McCrea Lodge, 
I. 0. 0. F., No. 267, and of Carpenters' union. No. 673, of which 
union he has been president; is a Republican in politics, and at 
present is employed as pattern maker in the shops of the Inter- 
national Paper Co., at Fort Edward, before which time he was 
for several years a successful contractor and. builder. 

Harris. Frank White, born November 30, 1869, at Fort Ed- 
Avard, N. Y.^ son of Loren W. Harris, and Sophronia Andrews, 



The Fort Edward Book. 245 

his wife ; received a common school education, and in early life 
was employed as clerk in various mercantile establishments, and 
has been collector for the village of Fort Edward; belongs to 
Jane McCrea Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & 
A. M., Fort Edward Chapter, 171, R. A. M. ; Fort Edward Club, 
and an honorary member of Satterlee and Durkee Hose com- 
panies. In politics is independent, and for several years last 
past has been the Fort Edward representative of the Glens Falls 
Times. 

Harris, Myron B., born September 16, 1858, at Fort Miller 
Bridge, N. Y., son of George P. Harris, and IMartha E. Bowen, 
his wife. Married June 1st, 1884, at Schuylerville, N. Y., to 
Lilly A. Loupe, b. July 22, 1869, at Bald Mountain, N. Y., daugh- 
ter of Wm. Loupe and Josephine Stover, his wife. Five chil- 
dren, two of whom are living— Grace L., b. October 22, 1885, and 
John M., b. August 19, 1898. Mr. Harris received a common 
school education at Fort Miller, N. Y., and his early life was 
passed in farming, and river driving; is a member of Home 
Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 398, of Northumberland, of which lodge 
he was master for several years ; in politics is a Democrat ; is now 
proprietor of Hotel AA^indsor, Fort Aliller, N. Y. Mr. Harris 
and his family are attendants of the Dutch Reformed church, 
at Fort Miller. His great-grandfather, AVilliam Harris, was one 
of the early settlers in this locality, and was a Revolutionary sol- 
dier. He was a man remarkable for his physical development, 
being over seven feet in height, and is said to have been an ex- 
pert swordsman, and it is related of him that when standing in 
his stirrups on horse back, he could, with his sabre, reach ten feet 
ahead of his horse. He lived to be 107 years of age. 

Haskin, Samuel P. L., born December 1st, 1871, at Fort Ann, 
N. Y., son of Benjamin F. Haskin, and Elizabeth Segnor, his 
wife. Married October 18, 1899, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to Rose 
M. Gilchrist, b. April 10, 1880, at Harvard, Nebraska, daughter 
of Alexander T. Gilchrist, and Helen Taylor, his wife. Two 
children-Ralph, b. August 24, 1900, and Electa, b. July 21, 1902. 
Mr. Haskin was educated in the public schools and Fort Edward 
Business College. His early life was passed in Fort Ann. Mr. 
Haskin 's people removed to Fort Edward in 1882, where he has 
since resided; is a member of Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. M., 



246 The Fort Edward Book, 

Fort Edward Cliaptor, R. A. M., M^nshiiiston CIoininaiHlofy, K. 
T., of SHi-atoon, -Iniic McXJrca I^od^^c, I. (). (). h\, tind ;m li'onoi-- 
jir.y nicinhcr of Snilcrlce Hose Co.; ;i) lends llic MctliodisI 
chiiivli; is a Kcpiiblicaii in |)olili(',s, and For a munber of years 
last past, has been engaged in Ihe meat and provision business, 
in this villai^'e. 

IIaxstun, Kkjiimm) P)AX'rii:ii, born Se|)t(Mnber 1(S, 1848, at 
Candirid^'e, N. Y., son ol' An(h-ew Kin^' IIaxstun, and Martha 
Harrow, bis wife. Married July :{(), 187i), at Fort Milh'r, N. Y., 
Ileh'ti K. (!arsvvell, b. March I, 18.^)5, at l^\)rt i<](l\vard, N. Y., 
dani;li1er ol' William J. Carswell, and Mary I. (I'ayn) (-ai'svvell. 
Five ehildren Mariha A., b. Maivh 12, 1881; Lina VV., b. April 
22, 1884; Andivw K., b. Mai-eli 8, bS87 ; Helen M., b. November 
;{, 18iKS, and KJehard (1., b. -luiie 'A, 18i)8. Mr. IIaxstun was edu- 
cated in the public schools of this state and at I^^'ort Tjdward (;()l- 
lej^iate Institute. 1 1 is early life was passed in the pottery busi- 
ness in which his rather was enii'aii,'e(l ; has been elecled collectoi" 
ol' the village of h\)\-\ I*](lvvard, and when he removed lo the town 
of Moreau was elected tiaislee ol' the public school of his district; 
is an attendaiH of I he ^b'lllodisl church, and has always been 
a |)r(tn()unce(l Democral. lie is now eniia;i;cd in the manuracture 
ol' lallow and I'ertili/ei-s in the town of Moreau. 

ll()Ma:(H»K, rKTKK. (J., boru October 24, 1852, at Sandy Hill, 
N. Y., son of A. II. Ilolbrook, and Helen Stroni^', bis wif(>. Mar- 
ried October 1!), 1881, at (dens I'^dls, N. Y., to Olara LaH\iy, 
1). I^'ebriiary, 1851;, at Sandy Hill, daujJihter of VAy hal^'ay. 'fwo 
childi-en— l^]lizabetll h., b. h^'hrnaiy f), 1888, and one died in 
inrancy. Mr. Ilolbrook was educated in the |)ul)lic schools at 
Sandy Hill. In his early life he was a contractoi', en<i'aiie(l in 
public woi'ks up to 1877, when he eni^aiied in the liotel business. 
For ten yeai's lie was cliiel' ol' the (ire department at Sandy Hill 
- 1889 I'o 18!)f); a member ol' the Sandy Hill Lodi^e, F." & A. 
1\1., and a!i attendant of the I'resbyb'riau church, as were his 
parents heforc him. In politics he has been stronji' in th(> 
faith ol' the Democratic party. h'oi- the past few years Mr. 
Ilolbrook has been |)ropi-ietoi' ol' the Hotel Hudson, in (he vil- 
laj^'e of Fort Fdward. 

Tlin.ii, l^]ixj.\ii, born January 1(1, 1840, at Berne, Albany Co., 



The Fort Edward Book. 247 

N. v., soil of Krnsliis Hull, .-iikI honisn U-.uw, his wire. M.-irricd 
Aiiu'lin K. i'ossoiis. Thivc cliiMivn |^^-;ii,k, N.-llic .-iiid ,)..|llli(^ 
tlic" hisl Iwo of wIk.iii only ;iiv liviii-. i\',.||i,. m.-irricd A. V.' 
Pratt, of IA)ri r](|\v;ir(l. Mr. Hull vv;is (>(liic;il..,| ;,i (;,v;il, l',;ir- 
rins'ton, and the Jotu-sville (N. Y.) ;\,-;id(Miiy ; |.,.-;in Hi., study 
of ]aw at P,allston, in Hio office of (Meinenl ('.. Hill, in isf)!), ;iiid 
opened ;iii office in l^\)rt l<]d\v;ii-d, in I he fjill of iSliO; in lS('i4 \n) 
wasadinilled to the hjir; w;is supervisor of |^\)rl, l^^dwju-d in LSTf), 
1876, 1S77; in ISS.S he w;is noiniiinlcd hy the K'epiij)lic;iii pjirty 
for district aftorney, which office lie liehj for fiH.M'ii consecutive 
years; is a nieniber of Kort Edvvjird Lod^v, |^\ ^ a. I\1., ;iiid the 
ivoyjil Arc;iniiiii, ;iiid \v;is one of f he cluirler iiieiiihers of Hie 
IA)rt Kdwjird Cliil). Mr. Hull is ;i deseend.-inf of Hie Hulls who 
figured so |)roiiiinenf ly in Hie Coloiiinl ;iii.l K'evoliil ioiuiry wjirs. 

Kkatin(;, ,].\mks I)., born M;iy 10, lS(i;{, ;i( SoiiHi (JIcmis h\-ills, 
N. Y., son of -jjiiiies l^\ KejitiiiM', ;uid I<]lleii Delnney, his wife. 
Married July 21, LSHfi, ;if h\)rt Kdwiird, Sarafi Wicks, (hui-^hter 
of Walter W. Wicks, mikI l<:ileii Kennedy, liis wife. One child- 
Alherl dniiies, b. December .'}, ISSS; coiiiinon school edncjifion; 
a Repiibliciin in politics; is now, ;is he li;is been for iruuiy yiy.vvH 
eriii'a.i^cd in Hie business of printer ;iiid [)iibrislier at Fort Ed- 
ward, N. Y. 

Kctciuiivi, ('iiau'mos H., born November 24, 1845, ;il ll;i(lley, 
Sarato«;i county, N. Y., son of l);iiiiel II Ketclium, and Hv.Uvj 
P>rovvn, liis wife. Miiri-ied M;iy 10, l,S7(i, ;it l^'ort Kdwjird, N. Y., 
to l-:ii/,;i ('r;ine, b. October 2, 184;{, ;it l<\)rt I^]dw;ird, N. Y., d;iii,-li- 
ter of Kdwiii ('r;ine, jiiid .M;iry Pnrish, his wife. Mr. Ketclium 
received ;i common school ediicjilion, ;iiid in e;irly -life emb;irk-ed 
in Hie iiisiirjince business, which occupiiHoii he li;is followrd ;dl 
liij^ 'il'<'- III ejirly ye;irs lie w;is ;i |);irlii<'r of Dr. (Jeor^e VV. Hit- 
t!'', Mild on Hie dissolution of lluil firm, he conliniied the business. 
Is a member of tbe Fort Edward Lod^c, 1<\ & A. M., and also 
of the Fort Edwjirfl (Jhiipter; is Mtfjiched to Hie princi[)les of th<! 
lu'piiblicjiii |>;ir1y, niid is now en^'a^'ed in IIh' insiirjince ;iiid 
real ('state business. 

Kino, David IIarvky, l)orn July 14, 18;}5, at Milford, Otsego 
(Jo., N. Y., son of Elijah Kinj^', and Catherine Olmsted, his wife. 



248 The Fort Edward Book. 

Married July 31, 1856, at Whitehall, N. Y., to Susan Anna Cole- 
man, b. December 11, 1836, at Whitehall, N. Y., daughter of 
Robert Coleman, and Adeline Haviland, his wife. Four chil- 
dren—Katie Louisa, b. September 11, 1857; Charles Robert, b. 
January 18, 1858 ; Edwin Morton, b. December 13, 1860 ; Henry 
Grant, b. May 26, 1869— only the latter surviving. Mr. King- 
was educated in the public schools and at Fort Edward Colle- 
giate Institute. In early life he spent two years in Chicago ; re- 
turned to Fort Edward and embarked in business. April 17, 
1861, enlisted in the Union Army, and served four years; has 
served the town as town clerk and tax collector; is a member 
of the Fort Edward Lodge, No. 267, F. & A. M., of which lodge 
he has been master, as elsewhere appears : is a member of the 
Grand Army of the Republic, and of Jane McCrea Lodge, I. O. 
0. F. ; is an attendant of the Methodist church, a life-long Re- 
publican, and is now engaged in the real estate and insurance 
business. Mr. King has served as district deputy grand master 
of Masons for the district in which he lives, and is also one of the 
staff of the department commandery, of the Department of New 
York, and as aide-de-camp on the staff of the Commander-in- 
Chief of the G. A. R. 

King, Rev. Joseph E., A. M., D. D., Ph. D., was born Novem- 
ber 30th, 1823, at Laurens, Otsego county, N. Y., son of Rev. 
Elijah King, and Catherine Olmstead, his wife. He married 
July. 1850, at Newbury, Vt., Melissa Bailey, who was born at 
Newbury, Vt., the daughter of Col. Amherst Bailey, and Melissa 
Stevens, his wife; Mrs. King died October, 1887. Three children 
—Mary Ellen, m. Dr. M. W. Van Denberg of Fort Edward; Mrs. 
Van Denberg died 1878, her husband and one son, Joseph King 
Van Denberg, surviving. Alice King, m. Professor W. W. McGil- 
ton, now of Middlebury (Vt.) College. Helen M. King, m. J. 
Earl Cheesman of East Orange, N. J., to whom two children have 
been born, Ruth and John. On December 28th, 1889, at Fort 
Edward, N. Y., Dr. King married Mrs. Josephine M. Clements 
Batcheller, who was born, 1847, at Fort Ann, N. Y., daughter of 
George Clements and Theodosia Helen Underbill, his wife. 
Dr. King was educated in the village schools at Laurens, at 
Grand River Institute, at Austinburgh, Ohio, and at the Poult- 
ney Academy, Poultney, Vt. ; in 1844 he entered the sophomore 
class at Wesleyan College, where he graduated with distinguished 
honor. In his early life he was employed as clerk earning the 



The Fort Edward Book. 249 

money for his education ; in 1849 he became teacher of natural 
science and Latin at Newbury Seminary, Vermont, of which in- 
stitution he became principal. Durino' this period he preached 
in various churches in Connecticut, and in 1853 he took charge 
of the Fort Plain Seminary, and the next year, of the Fort Ed- 
ward Collegiate Institute, which had been erected for his use, 
and since the last mentioned date he has been the financial and 
educational head of the institution. In 1867 and in 1889 he 
traveled extensively abroad ; he received the degree of A. B., and 

A. M. from AVesleyan ; in 1862 the degree of D. D., from Union 
College; in 1873 the degree of Ph. D., from the Regents of the 
University of the State of New York. His religious affiliations 
have always been with the Methodist Episcopal church of which 
he is a member, and to the General Conference of which he was 
a delegate in 1856, 1864 and 1868, and has been a constant at- 
tendant for many years of the annual meeting of the Troy Con- 
ference. He is ti'ustee of the Wesleyan University ; of the Round 
Lake Summer Institute; of the Fort Edward Collegiate Insti- 
tute, and of the New York State Historical Association; presi- 
dent of the First National bank of Fort Edward ; director of the 
Glens Falls Insurance company; president of the Union Ceme- 
tery Association; a member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity, 
and is one of the charter members of the Adirondack Chapter, 
S. A. R. He cast his first vote for Franklin Pierce for president 
of the United States, since which time he has always been iden- 
tified with the Republican party. Through his long and success- 
ful career as an educator, he has constantly preached and lec- 
tured from many platforms and pulpits. 

Faculty of Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, September 1903 ■ 
Joseph E. King, D. D., Ph. D., president-logic, ethics, physiol- 
ogy, Greek. Mrs. Josephine M. King, assistant to principal— 
socal and moral culture, history of art. Irwin F. Mather, A. M. 
—Latin, English literature, history. Mrs. Susan A. Mather, L.' 
B.— mathematics, English language. Wm. B. Melick, M. D.— 
lecturer on hygiene, consulting physician. Ruth E. Russan, A. 

B. — French and German languages and literature. Ardelle h. 
Harrington— piano harmony, history of music. Grace Noxon— 
art. Ella Hall Shields— vocal music. Flora L. Stevens— natural 
science, English. Winona Jewett, El. B.— elocution, physical 
culture. Ella B. Melick— stenography, typewriting, book-keep- 
ing. Theora Williamson— librarian. 

JCiNNE, James Gideon, born June 30, 1840, at South Glas- 



250 The Fort Edward Book. 

tonbury, Connecticut, son of Gideon and Sally Ann (Taylor) 
Kinne. Married September 23, 1869, at Eagle Mills, N. Y., to 
Mahala McCbesney, b. Avignst 31, 1841, at Grafton, N. Y., 
daughter of James and Katberine (Hayner) McCbesney. Mrs. 
Kinne died May 10, 1879. One child— Mattie May Kinne, b. 
March 5, 1871, and d. July 5, 1871. Mr. Kinne was educated in 
the public schools, and at Fort Edward Collegiate Institute ; has 
been a vestryman, and for several years the senior warden of St. 
James' Episcopal church, and a Republican in politics. He en- 
listed as a volunteer in the Civil war, August 28, 1862, elected 
orderly sergeant of Company H, 25th regiment of Connecticut 
Volunteers ; discharged to enter the services of Gideon AVells, 
Secretary of the Navy, at Washington, D. C, and served nearly 
four years. At the end of the Civil war resigned his position, 
went west, and located as a merchant in Mankato, Minn. Sub- 
sequently he sold out his business in tliat place, and returned 
east, and in 1868 settled in Port Edward where he has since car- 
ried on the business of general store. 

Lindsay, Thomas S., born August 30, 1851, at South Adams, 
Mass., son of John Blair Lindsay, and Clorinda Loveland, his 
wife. Married March 28, 1883, at Fort Edward, N. Y., Maggie 
E. Harris, b. March 15, 1857, at Fort Edward, N. Y., daughter 
of George Llarris, and INIargaret Cunningham, his wife. Five 
children— Otis Harris, b. May 25, 1885 (who is now and has been 
for several years, a representative for the Glens Falls Star) ; 
Ernest A., b. March 25, 1887 ; died September, 1887 ; Grace B., 
b. April 9, 1888 ; Helen B., b. January 3, 1891, and Ralph L., b. 
November 15, 1896. Mr. Lindsay was educated in the public 
schools, and at Ball's Seminary, Hoosick Falls. In early life 
was apprenticed to learn the tinners and sheet iron workers' 
trade. During the years 1872, 1873, 1874, was one of the firm of 
Phillips & Lindsay, tinners and dealers in hardware, at Hoosick 
Falls, N. Y. ; afterwards was employed at Springfield, Vt., and 
in 1876, came to Fort Edward, where he entered the employ of 
Sandford Smith & Son, remaining here until 1882 ; he then 
removed to Boston, Mass. In 1888 returned to Fort Edward and 
affiliated with the firm of Newton & Hill, since which time he has 
been constantly engaged in the prosecution of his trade; is a 
member of Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. M., and of Washington 
Council, Royal Arcanum, of which latter order he has been sec- 
retary for over fourteen years. Mr. Lindsay's grandfather, 



The Fotr Edward Book. 251 

Solomon Lovelaiul,was a driumnei- in Captain Wells' Co., of Fom- 
pey, N. Y., and was in the service at Sackett's Harbor, in the 
war of 1812. Mrs. Lindsay's father was born in Fort Edward 
in 1822, and died here in 1900, on the same street where he was 
born. For many years he was employed by the Paper Mill 
company. 

I\LvLiN, John II., born July 24, 1875, at Fort Edward, N. Y., 
son of William ^Malin, and I\Iary Connell, his wife. Was edu- 
cated in the public schools at Fort Edward, and in early life was 
eng-ag'ed in the business of the manufacture of cigars, and after- 
wards as paper maker. Is president of the Pulp, Sulphite & 
Paper I\Iill Workers, Lodge No. 1, Fort Edward, N. Y., and in 
1902 was elected collector of the union school district of Fort 
Edward ; belongs to Fort Edward Council, No. 336, Knights of 
Columbus, and Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division No. 3 ; is 
a member of the Roman Catholic church, in politics independent, 
and at present is employed as an organizer for the Pulp, Sul- 
phite and Paper Mill Workers, and for the past two years has 
been prominently identified with the labor organizations of this 
section. 

]\IcDoiTGALL, W^iLLiAM James, boru Octobcr 25, 1871, at Ar- 
gyle, N. Y., sou of Charles H. McDougall, and Mary Lillie, his 
wife. ]\Iarried at Fort Edward in I\Iay, 1890 to Lena J. Buck, 
b. September 5, 1872, at Fort Edward, daughter of Daniel E. 
Buck, and Julia Lapham, his wife. One child— W^esley T., b. 
May 1st, 1896. Was educated in the public schools at Argyle 
and Glens Falls. His early life was spent largely in those two 
towns, where he was employed as a clerk. Is secretary of the 
K. 0. T. ]\I., and an honorary member of the Durkee Hose Co. ; 
attends the IMethodist church, a Republican in politics, and is 
now engaged in the fruit and confectionery business on Broad- 
way, near Hotel Hudson. 

McNaughton, Feed., born September 27, 1853, at Schuyler- 
ville, N. Y., son of Malcolm McNaughton, and Phcebe IMcDoual, 
his wife. IMarried in 1884, at Northumberland, N. Y., to Julia 
M. Fiune, b. at Middlesex, Vermont, December 27, 1856, daugh- 
ter of Alvinza L. Finne, and ]\Iary B. Mclntyre, his wife. Three 
children— Wallace F., b. November 29, 1886; Mary E., b. ]March 



252 The Fort Edward Book. 

2, 1891, and Leslie M., b. October 2, 1894. Mr. MeNaughton was 
educated in the public schools of Schuylerville and beg-an his 
business career as clerk in the National bank of that place. After 
filling the position of teller in the bank, he went to New York 
city, and for a time was engaged there as a member and broker 
of the grain produce exchange. He is a member of Home Lodge, 
398, F. & A. M., of Northumberland, Royal Arcanum, and Fort 
Edward Club ; is a member of St. James ' Episcopal church, and 
also a vestryman; is a Republican in polities, and at present is 
one of the firm of the Fort Edward Brewing Co. 

McNeil, Sarah, of Argyle, by a will dated the 18th of Sep- 
tember, 1798, and which was admitted to probate July 12, 1799, 
gave to her brother, William Frazer, $250.00, and the residue of 
her estate to Archibald Campbell Tearse, son of Peter B. Tearse; 
if he died without issue, one-half of the residue was given to 
William Hunter Tearse, also a son of Peter B. Tearse, and the 
remainder to the children of William Frazer. If Peter B. 
Tearse died, leaving Mary, his wife, a widow, then Archibald 
Campbell Tearse was to care for her as long as she lived. The 
executors were Zina Hitchcock, Charles Roe, and Mieajah Pettit. 
The witnesses were John Eddy, Eliphalet Eglston, and Mathias 
Ogden. 

John Eddy died June 27, 1817, in the 63d year of his 
age ; Amy, wife of John Eddy, died March 28, 1803, in the 47th 
year of her age ; Anna, second wife of John Eddy, died August 
7, 1820, aged 40 years. Sydney and George, children of John 
and Anna Eddy, died in infancy; Lydia Eddy, wife of Henry 
Gaylord, b. July 5, 1791, died February 22, 1866. 

Mead, Walter L., born January 1st, 1865, at Fort Edward, 
N. Y., son of AValter J. Mead, and Ellen A. Lane, his wife. Mar- 
ried September 17, 1886, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to Minnie 
Graham, b. March 4, 1864, at Fort Edward, N. Y., daughter of 
Andrew Graham, and Elizabeth Graham, his wife. Two chil- 
dren—Howard G., b. February 10, 1889, and Lena, b. August 
31, 1893. Mr. Mead received a common school education in 
the public schools at Fort Edward, and at Havens Business Col- 
lege in Philadelphia; learned the printer's trade which he after- 
wards abandoned and entered the employ of the Fort Edward 
Brewing company, as book-keeper, which position he held for a 



The Fort Edward Book. 253 

number of years ; is a member of Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. 
M., Royal Arcanum ; and an honorary member of the Satterlee 
and Durkee Hose companies; is an attendant at the Episcopal 
church, a Republican in politics, and at present is employed in 
the gardening business. 

Melville, Rev. Ernest, rector of St. James' Episcopal church, 
born in London, Eng., February 7th, 1850; the son of Osborn 
Melville, and Sophia Lyle, his wife. Was married November 
9th, 1888, at Dunfermiline, Scotland, to Leslie Clive, b. in Lon- 
don, Eng., November 25th, 1868. AA^as educated in the public 
schools of England, and by private instructors ; his early life 
was spent upon a farm in the County of Suffolk, after which 
for six years was a pupil of teachers of elocution and actors, 
among whom were AA^alter Montgomery, Charles Calvert and 
Arthur Bell ; then became a teacher of elocution and a public 
lecturer on various popular subjects ; came to the United States 
in 1888, just after his marriage, and visited the principal cities 
of this country, settling in Philadelphia, Pa., where he followed 
his profession and became professor of elocution in a college 
connected with Hanover Baptist church, of which Rev. C. H. 
AVoolston was pastor ; was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1891, 
and became pastor of a church at AVarren Center, Pa., and also 
at AVorcester, N. Y., after which, feeling that his own theological 
views were more in harmorny with the Anglican church with 
which he had been more or less intimately connected all his life, 
he sought admission to the Protestant Episcopal Church of 
America, through the Rev. and Venerable Charles Olmstead, 
D. D., of Cooperstown, archdeacon of Susquehanna, now bishop 
of Colorado, by whom he was introduced to Bishop Doane of 
Albany ; he was subsequently ordained deacon in the Cathedral 
of All Saints at Albany, on St. Paul's day, January 25th, 1891, 
and was appointed by the bishop, rector of St. Paul's church 
at Sidney, N. Y., where he was ordained to the priesthood on 
January 15, 1896. There he labored for five years, during which 
time the church grew and prospered. In October, 1899, he ac- 
cepted a call to St. James' church, Fort Edward, since which 
time the church, under his care, has materially increased. Mr. 
Melville is an eloquent and earnest speaker, and his services as 
a lecturer are in demand; is a member of the New York His- 
torical association, and w^as one of the speakers at their third 
annual meeting, held at Caldwell, N. Y., 1901 ; is chaplain of the 



254 The Fort Edward Book. 

Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. M. His political affiliations in 
England were with the Liberals until the split occurred in that 
party over Gladstone's Home Rule Bill, since which his sym- 
pathy has been with the Liberal Unionists. In this country, al- 
throug'h not a partisian, he has generally been in accord with the 
Republican party. The whole bent of his nature, however, is to 
aid what he believes to be true and right, whether in national, 
municipal or social life, irrespective of party or the fashion of 
the day. 

MiLLiMAN, Jarvis W., bom December 4, 1849, at Salem, Wash- 
ington county, N. Y., son of Thomas H. Milliman, and Caroline 
Martin, his wife. Married September 30, 1878, at Fort Edward, 
N. Y., to Mary E. Andrews, b. September 3, 1857, at Williams- 
port, Pa., daughter of William T. Andrews, and Caroline Doney, 
his wafe. Two children— Jarvis B., b. October 23, 1884, and 
Mary E., b. August 7, 1887. Mr. Milliman received his educa- 
tion in the public schools, and his early life was passed on a 
farm in the town of Salem, N. Y. ; has been repeatedly elected to 
municipal offices in the town and village in which he resides, 
having been treasurer and collector of the village of Fort Ed- 
ward, besides filling various other town offices; belongs to the 
Masonic fraternity, Jane McCrea Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., Ancient 
Order of United Workmen, and an honorary member of Sat- 
terlee Hose Co. He has been for a number of years one of the 
vestryman of the St. James Episcopal church, and is attached 
to the Democratic party, and for many years has been engaged 
in the meat and grocery business. 

Montgomery, Lyman Edward, born December 13th, 1863, at 
Middle Falls, N. Y., son of Adelmon Montgomery and Elizabeth 
Richmond, his wife. Married, June 12th, 1902, at Mechanicville, 
N. Y., to Ida Grace Arnold, b. July 18th, 1874, at Stillwater, N. 
Y., daughter of Otto Yates Arnold, and Ester Adelia Talmadge,his 
wife. Was educated at the Island Grove seminary. Fort Edward, 
and in 1882, entered Union College, taking the civil engineering 
course, but was compelled to abandon his studies, on account 
of his eye sight, before graduating. In 1883 he became book- 
keeper for the lumber firm of Sherman & Green, Glens Falls, 
and in 1887 engaged in business with his father as a partner in 
the coal trade at Notre Dame street. Fort Edward, and in 1889 



The Fort Edward Book. 255 

he succeeded to the business, which he still carries on, being a 
large dealer in coal, feed, wood, salt, flour, lime and cement. 
His early life was spent at Middle Falls. He is a member of 
Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & A. M., president of the Satterlee 
Hose company, president of the Fort Edward Club, member of 
the Baptist congregation, and a Republican in politics. The 
family is of Irish descent. Col. Robert Montgomery, distinguished 
in the war of 1812, being his grandfather. 

Moore, Orville, H., born July 17, 1872, at Fort Edward, N. 
Y., son of Orville H. Moore, and Sarah J. Wythe, his wife. 
Married August 8, 1894, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to Annie E. 
VanDerwerker, b. June 11, 1872, at Fort Miller, N. Y., daughter 
of Rozelle VanDerwerker, and Margaret Willard, his wife. One 
child— Grace Helene, b. September 30, 1897. Mr. Moore was 
educated in the public schools, and Fort Edward Business Col- 
lege. He is a member of the Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & A. 
M^; Fort Edward Chapter, 171, R. A. M. ; Washington Com- 
mandery. No. 33, K. T., of Saratoga ; Oriental Temple, A. A. 0. 
N. M. S., of Troy ; Royal Arcanum, Ancient Order of United 
Workmen, and of the Commercial Travelers' Association of 
Utica. Is an attendant of the Presbyterian church, and a Re- 
publican in politics, and for a number of years has been the vice- 
president and manager of the Moore Screen Co., of Sandy Hill. 
N. Y. He is engaged in the manufacture and sale of the Moore 
Rotary screene of which he was one of the inventors, and which 
has proved to be a very useful appliance in the manufacture of 
pulp. 

Morgan, John J., born at Fort Edward, son of Edward P. 
Morgan, and Rebecca Hunter, his wife; was educated in the 
public schools and at the Island Grove seminary. After com- 
pleting his education, was appointed deputy postmaster at Fort 
Edward, under James H. Harris, which position he occupied for 
five years; was afterwards deputy county clerk, under Charles 
W. Taylor ; in 1887, he enterecl the employ of the First National 
bank of Fort Edward, where he has since remained; has served 
as treasurer of the village of Fort Edward eight terms, as presi- 
dent of the village two terms, and in 1899, was elected super- 
visor of the town, to which position he has subsequently been 
re-elected. Mr. Morgan is a Democrat in politics, and a member 



256 The Fort Edward Book. 

of St. James' Episcopal church, of which organization he was 
for many years a vestryman, and its treasurer. He has been 
actively identified wdth the interests of the Satterlee Hose Co., 
and served as its president a number of years; belongs to Fort 
Edward Lodge, F. & A. M., Jane McCrea Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., 
Fort Edward Club, and is one of the directors of the Empire 
Theater at Glens Falls. 

MoTT, Dr. Orville Hamlin, born April 30th, 1851, at Sara- 
toga, N. Y., son of LaFayette Mott, and Mary A. Weston, his 
wife. Married, February 14th, 1901, at Bridgeport, Conn., 
Margaret H. Bradley, of Fort Edward, N. Y., b. August 29th, 
1872, daughter of George Bradley and Margaret Heath, his 
wife. Dr. Mott was educated in the common schools of Sara- 
toga, at Bemis Heights Seminary, at the Connecticut Literary 
Institute, of Suffield, Conn., and was graduated at the New York 
Homeopathic College in the class of 1873. His early life was 
passed in Saratoga Springs; began the study of medicine in 
1869 with Dr. Archibald Gow of Schuylerville, and continued 
his studies in Saratoga Springs in the office of Dr. Thomas E. 
Allen; practiced in Glens Falls for one year with Dr. David H. 
Bullard, and in 1873 located in Fort Ann, where he built up a 
large and lucrative practice. In May, 1902, removed to Fort 
Edward, where he is now engaged in the active practice of his 
profession. Belongs to Mount Hope Lodge, No. 260, F. & A. M., 
Fort Ann, N. Y.;>ort Edward Chapter, No. 171, R. A. M., of 
Fort Edward, N. Y. ; Washington Council,No. 52, AVhitehall, N. 
Y. ; Washington Commandery, No. 33, K. T., Saratoga Springs, 
N. Y.; Oriental Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S., Troy, N. Y., and 
Washington Council, Royal Arcanum, Fort Edward, N. Y. His 
religious affiliations are wnth the Universalist church, and he has 
always been identified with the Republican party. Dr. INIott's 
ancestors were French Hugenots, the original name being "La- 
Motte." In this country they were among the original settlers 
of the Island of Manhattan; his immediate ancestors settled in 
Dutchess county, and were Quakers. Dr. Mott's grandfather 
came from Dutchess county to Saratoga county where he took 
up a claim upon Saratoga Lake at about the time of the Revo- 
lutionary war. The original deed of this claim from the Colo- 
nial government is now in possession of the Mott family. 

Murray, James M., born November 25, 1877, at Fort Edward, 



The Fort Edward Book. 257 

N. Y., son of John M. Murray and Anna M. Leonard, his wife. 
Married at Glens Falls, October 7, 1903, Elizabeth Cnnningham, 
daughter of Patrick J. Cunningham, and Mary Leary, his wife. 
AVas educated in the public schools of Fort Edward, where his 
early life was passed in the mercantile business ; afterwards en- 
tered the employ of the International Paper Co., and at present 
is a paper maker ; is now serving as clerk of the village trustees, 
and of the water connnissioners ; is a member of the Knights of 
Columbus, the Durkee Hose Co., and of the International Bro- 
therhood of Paper Makers ; also a member of the Catholic church, 
and a Republican in politics. 

Murray, William A., b. April 9, 1869, at Fort Edward, N. Y., 
son of John M. Murray, and Anna Leonard, his wife. Married 
October 2, 1895, at Granville, N. Y., Anna Daughn, I). July 14, 
1874, at Hebron, daughter of Fenton Daughn, and Bridget Mur- 
phy, his wife. Four children— William L., b. June 24, 1896; 
John E., b. March 9, 1898; Fenton R., b. May 2, 1900, and Mar- 
garet, b. November 12, 1902. Mr. Murray was educated in the 
common schools of Fort Edward, and early in life learned the 
business of cigar maker; this occupation he afterwards aband- 
oned, and became a paper maker ; is now assistant superintendent 
of the International Paper Mills at Fort Edward. He has been 
one of the trustees of the village of Fort Edward, is now pres- 
ident of the village of Fort Edward, and is a member of the 
board of education; belongs to the Knights of Columbus, is a 
member of the Roman Catholic church, and of the Republican 
party. 

NiLES, Oscar Orlando, born May 14, 1839, at Shaftsbury, Vt., 
son of Hiram Niles, and Sarah A. Millington, his wife. Married 
September 6, 1865, at Hartford, N. Y., to «Iuliet Harris, b. April 
20, 1846, at Hartford, N. Y., daughter of x\sa 0. Harris and 
Betsy Rich, his wife. One child— Frances M., b. October 8, 1866. 
Mr. Niles received a common school education, and is a member 
of many of the Masonic orders, and also of the Odd Fellows, the 
Royal Arcanum, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the 
Episcopal church, and a. Republican in politics, and for many 
years has been engaged in the Merchant Tailoring business. He 



258 The Fort Edward Book. 

enlisted in 1861, in the 93d Regiment, of New York Volunteers, 
and served three years ; was master for many years of Fort Ed- 
ward Lodge, 267, F. & A. M., and has often been called upon to 
officiate at Masonic funerals. 

NoRTHUP, H. Davis, born October 9th, 1842, at Hartford, N. 
Y., son of James M. Northup, and Julia Ann Davis, his wife. 
Married January 19th, 1864, at Hartford, N. Y., Pamelia E. 
Wait, b. September, 1843, at Granville, N. Y., daughter of Mansir 
AV. Wait, and Julia Ann Hale. Three children— James M., 
Jr., b. March 31, 1867, married Lillian Hodgman; Mansir W., b. 
July 6, 1868 ; Maud E., b. July 3, 1870, married Wilford J. De- 
Wolf. Pamelia E. Wait, wife of H. Davis Northup, died Jan- 
uary 23d, 1880, and he married, September 10th, 1885, at New 
York city, Kate I. Hopping, b. August, 1847, at Madison, N. J., 
daughter of Samuel W. Hopping and Margaret Gordon, his wife. 
Was educated at the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, which he 
entered in 1855, where he remained for one year, after which 
he graduated in the commercial course at Eastman's Business 
College, Poughkeepsie, in 1863. His early life was spent in 
Hartford. After his graduation he engaged in the produce bus- 
iness with his father and uncle, and lived in Hartford until 
1886, when he came to Fort Edward and bought the old D. W. 
Wing place, which was built in the early part of the century; 
this beautiful residence Mr. Northup still occupies. Mr. Northup 
was for six years deputy treasurer and treasurer of Washington 
county, and for one year treasurer of the village of Fort Ed- 
Avard ; is now treasurer of the Royal Arcanum ; is a member of 
Herschel Lodge, No. 508, F. & A. M., of Hartford, of which 
lodge he was master for four years; was high priest of the 
Hartford Chapter, R. A. M. ; is a member of the Washington 
Commandery, K. T. ; Jane McCrea Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., and of 
Washington Council, Royal Arcanum; an attendant of the Bap- 
tist church; a Republican in politics, and is secretary and man- 
ager of the Automatic Tap & Faucet company, and a partner 
in the Fort Edward Manufacturing company, engaged in the 
manufacture of tinware. Mr. Northup has always been promi- 
nently identified with the public affairs of the county, as was 
his father, Hon. James M. Northup, who, at the time of his 
death, was president of the First National bank of Fort Edward. 
His grandfather, John S. Northup, was a drummer in the war 
of 1812, and his great-grandfather, Joseph, was a soldier of the 



The Fort Edward Book. 259 

Revolution, in the Fourth Albany County regiment. The family 
is of English and Dutch descent. 

O'Brien, Jarvis P., born May 24, 1864, at Fort Edward, N. 
Y., son of James O'Brien, and Mary Walsh, his wife He was 
educated in the public schools of this place, and at the Fort Ed- 
ward Collegiate Institute ; attended the Columbia University Law 
School at Washington, D. C, and entered the law office of Smith 
& Wellington, of Troy. Is a member of the Rensselaer County Rod 
and Gun Club, the B. P. O. Elks, Knights of Columbus, Exempt 
Fireman's Association of Troy; St. Peter's Lyceum, of Troy; the 
Veteran Boys in Blue Club, and an honorary member of Durkee 
Hose Co., of Fort Edward. His political affiliations are with 
the Republican party, and he was elected district attorney of 
Rensselaer county in November, 1902, which office he now holds ; 
in 1903 he was nominated by the Republicans as their candidate 
for mayor of the city of Troy. 

Palmer, Elmer H., born April 21, 1861, at Northumberland, 
son of Jason F. Palmer, and Laura S. HoUey, his wife. Mar- 
ried June 13, 1883, at Stillwater, N. Y., to Mariah Sisson, b. 
September 22, 1861, at Stillwater, N. Y., daughter of Dennis Sis- 
son and Alida Kipp, his wife. Two children— Arthur N., b. 
February 28, 1891, and Cornelia L., b. April 22, 1893. AVas edu- 
cated in the public schools of this state, and at the Warrens- 
burg Academy; his early life was passed upon a farm. He en- 
tered the livery business at Mechanicville, in 1891, and came to 
Fort Edward in 1893. In 1902 he succeeded by purchase to the 
livery business of the late Silas S. Hubbell. Served two years 
as village trustee of the village of Fort Edward ; belongs to Fort 
Edward Lodge, F. & A. M., Jane McCrea Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., Or- 
der of Red Men, Royal Arcanum, and the Satterlee Hose Co.; 
is an attendant of the Presbyterian church, and Republican in 
politics. 

Potter, Hon. Townsend Jay, born October 30th, 1832, in the 
town of Fort Edward, the oldest of ten children born to Abel W. 
Potter and Caroline Bell, his wife. Married March 5th, 1856, 
at Fort Edward, to Elmira Durkee, b. August 8th, 1835, at Fort 
Edward, daughter of John S. Durkee and Mary Ellis, his wife. 
He was educated in the common schools of his native town, and 



260 The Fort Edward Book. 

spent two or three terms at the Argyle Academy. His early life 
was passed on a farm in Fort Edward; when eighteen years of 
age engaged at rafting on the Hudson River, West Troy, for the 
firm of Potter & Gary, of that city, after which he engaged in 
lumbering and rafting business upon his own account for up- 
wards of three years, when he moved to Fort Edward; kept a 
canal grocery and stable for a time and dealt in grain for about 
seven years, during which time he was interested in the Fort 
Edward grist mill ; after this he embarked in the coal business, 
which he still carries on. Mr. Potter became interested in poli- 
tics soon after he located in Fort Edward, which interest he has 
always maintained ; has been a member of the local board of 
education, supervisor of the town for a period of four years, 
trustee of the village ; was elected Member of Assembly from this 
district in 1876-7 ; vice president of the First National bank of 
Fort Edward, and is a member of the old Fort Edward Baptist 
church. A Republican in politics. Mr. Potter's grandfather and 
grandmother came to this locality at an early day, and the history 
of the family in this country may be traced back nine genera- 
tions to William Potter, emigrant, prior to 1639. 

Robinson, Orvh.le ClxVrk, born January 13, 1843, at Hebron, 
N. Y., son of James Robinson, and Anna Livingston, his wife. 
Married in 1865 at Hebron, N. Y., to Maria McConelee, b. at 
Argyle, N. Y., daughter of Neal McConellee, and Nellie Carl, his 
wife. Seven children— Nellie, Anna, Georgie, Cortland, Jen- 
nie, Orville C, Jr., and Sarah M. Mr. Robinson was educated 
in the common schools of this state, and at the West Hebron 
academy. His early life was passed as a farmer in Hebron and 
Argyle ; was assessor in Argyle for two terms, and was elected 
to that office in Fort Edward, but resigned and accepted an ap- 
pointment as postmaster for the village of Fort Edward. He 
was also elected justice of the peace, which office he held for a 
short time and then resigned. He held the office of postmaster 
for nearly five years and served with acceptability. In August, 
1862, he enlisted in the Army of the Potomac, and participated 
in the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg; also partici- 
pated in Sherman's Atlantic campaign when the army was for 
one hundred days, almost constantly under fire; was present at 
seventeen battles during his three years ' service. This campaign 
terminated at Raleigh when General Johnson surrendered to 
General Sherman. Mr. Robinson marched with the army 



The Fort Edward Book. 261 

through Richmond to AVashington and participated in the grand 
review before the officers of the United States at Washington, 
before the close of the war ; was discharged from service June 9, 
1865. Is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Fort 
Edward Lodge, F. & A. M., Ancient Order of United Work- 
men, and Fort Edward Club ; attached to the Methodist church, 
a Republican in politics, and for a number of years past has been 
engaged in the coal business. 

Ryan, Patrick Joseph, born March 15, 1874, at Fort Edward, 
N. Y., son of William Ryan, and Mary Ann Fennell, his wife. 
Was educated in the public schools of Fort Edward, where his 
early life was spent ; is at present clerk of the board of education, 
of the village of Fort Edward, which office he has held for the 
past two years; is one of the charter members of the Bibbey 
Hose Co., also of the Knights of Columbus ; belongs to the Inter- 
national Brotherhood of Paper Makers, and the Tri-County Fire- 
men's Association; is a member of the Roman Catholic church, 
and of independent political views. In 1900 was appointed a 
guard in Dannemora prison, and in 1901 held a similar position 
in Elmira Reformatory. lie, at present, is employed as paper 
maker, in the International Paper Company's mill, at Fort Ed- 
ward, N. Y. 

Sanderspree. Charles William, born February 3, 1872, at 
Griswolds Mills, N. Y., son of Julius Sanderspree, and Angeline 
Bovar, his wife. Was married July 19, 1899, at Fort Edward, to 
Grace M. Dailey of Sandy Hill, daughter of Frank Dailey, and 
Jennie Hart, his wife. Three children— William Ashley, b. 
March 2, 1900 ; Herbert Allen, b. July 16, 1901 ; and Edith Ger- 
trude Gladys, b. August 29, 1902. Mr. Sanderspree received a 
common school education, and early in life was apprenticed to 
learn the carpenter's trade; he afterwards became a contractor 
and builder ; is a member of the Royal Arcanum ; of the Roman 
Catholic church, and belongs to the Republican party. 

Scott, George, town clerk of Fort Edward, born near Hook, 
town of Argyle, June 19, 1838, of Scotch Irish ancestry; son of 
John Scott and Nancy Brown, his wife, daughter of James and 
Hannah (Simpson) Brown, all members of the Rev. George 



262 The Fort Edward Book. 

Mairs' Presbyterian church, in the village of Argyle. His 
brothers are James, John, Robert and William. George attend- 
ed the Hook school, Fort Edward Institute, and Argyle Acad- 
emy, and during the Civil war he served in the Argyle Co., of 
the 123d N. Y. regiment, and in the 16th United States Infantry ; 
in the Argyle Co., he was orderly or first sergeant, under 
Captain Duncan Robertson, and near the close of the war was 
transferred to the 16th United States Infantry. He participated 
in all of the marches of the 123d, until it reached Atlanta and 
took part in all of its battles, including Chancellorsville, Gettys- 
burg, Resaca, Casville, New Hope Church, or Dallas, Lost Moun- 
tain, Pine Hill, Kenesaw, Kolbs Farm, Chattahoochee River, 
Peach Tree Creek, and Atlanta. Before Atlanta had fallen he 
was transferred to the 16th United States Infantry, and took 
part in the battles in the rear of Atlanta; assisted in tearing 
up the railroad at East Point, and was in the battle of Jonesboro, 
where a decisive victory for the Union, sealed the fate of Atlanta, 
After this, the 16th United States Infantry, was ordered back 
to Lookout Mountain, where on the 4th of October, 1863, Mr. 
Scott received an honorable discharge from the United States 
service, with honorable mention for his services in the battle of 
Jonesboro. After his discharge, instead of returning home, he 
went to the front again, and left Chattanooga on the top of a 
freight car in order to reach Sherman 's men at Atlanta ; but 
at this time' Hood's army was beginning to march north, and 
the freight train, on which Mr. Scott was a passenger, had soon 
to face burning culverts and bridges, and to save it, the con- 
ductor ran it back to Chattanooga. Mr. Scott and three other 
soldiers, however, did not return, each volunteered to go on, and 
after experiencing many hardships, and privations on this long 
march, in endeavoring to avoid Hoods' men, they succeeded in 
joining Sherman at Atlanta. George Scott was captured on 
October 19th, 1864, at Vinings Station, near Atlanta, by 
Wheeler's cavalry, and was sent to Cahaba prison, and soon 
after to the prison stockade at Millen ; was subsequently trans- 
ferred to Andersonville, where he remained a prisoner during 
the winter of 1864-5, and w^as among the last released in the 
spring, reaching the Union lines at Jacksonville, Florida, on 
April 28, 1865, after the war closed; he arrived on the steamer, 
"Daniel Webster," at Parole Camp, Annapolis, Md., May 10, 
1865. A few years after the war was over, Mr. Scott married 
Elizabeth A., daughter of Peter Tierce Finn, and Mary Cozzens 



The Fort Edward Book. 263 

Finn. They have one daughter, Mary E. Peter Tierce Finn, 
was a son of William Finn, one of the early settlers of Fort 
Edward. William Finn married Mary or Polly Tierce, a daugh- 
ter of Peter Bailey Tierce, who was a major in Col. Willett's 
regiment, in the Revolutionary war, and afterwards a member 
of the Legislature. The wife of Major Tierce was Polly Hunter, 
a daughter of Robert Hunter. Polly Hunter 's mother was Kath- 
erine Campbell ; Katherine Campbell was the daughter of Sarah 
Gordon Frazer, and Archibald Campbell who was related to Major 
Duncan Campbell of the "Black Watch," or 42d Highland reg- 
iment, and who fell mortally wounded at Ticonderoga July 8, 
1758. His remains are interred in the Union Cemetery at Fort 
Edward. 'Archibald Campbell died at sea, while on his way 

to this country with his family. His widow, Sarah Gordon 
Eraser Campbell, afterward married in New York city, James 
McNeil, who soon afterwards died. His widow subsequently 
moved to Fort Edward and was generally known as Mrs. Mc- 
Neil, and was captured with Jane McCrea, and fell into the 
hands of Gen. Eraser, her cousin. Mr. Scott was admitted to 
practice law at the February General Term of the Supreme 
Court held at Albany, 1871. He was Member of Assembly in 
1885, and chairman of committees on petitions of aliens, and 
member of committee on general laws. At present he is prac- 
ticing law, and a member of the vestry of St. James' church, and 
a Past Commander of Mills Post, No. 491, Grand Army of the 
Republic. 

Sheehan, Frank P., Jr., born at Fort Edward, N. Y., Novem- 
ber 20, 1876, son of Frank P. Sheehan and Mary Casey. Mar- 
ried August 11, 1902, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to Emma Cassant, 
b. in Montreal, Canada, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cas- 
sant. One child— Mary P., b. August 10, 1903. Was educated 
in the common schools at Fort Edward, and at St. Mary's Acad- 
emy, Glens Falls, N. Y. His early life was spent in his native 
village, and he is now chief engineer of the fire department of 
the village of Fort Edward, having successively filled the office 
of first and second assistant chief; is a member of the Ancient 
Order of Hibernians and of the Bibbey Hose Co. ; a Democrat 
in politics, and is at present employed in the paper and sul- 
phite mills of the International Paper Company's plant at Fort 
Edward. 



264 The Fort Edward Book. 

Shonts, Frederick J., born June 27, 1862, at Glens Falls, 
N. Y., son of Washington Shonts, and Martha M. Fairchild, his 
wife. Married November 13, 1889, at Fort Edward, N. Y., to 
Ida E. Denio, b. June 24, 1864, at Fort Edward, N. Y., daughter 
of Daniel Denio, and Eloda Infield, his wife. Mr. Shonts was 
educated at the union schools of Fort Edward, and for many 
years past has been proprietor of the Fort Edward laundry; is 
a member of A. 0. U. W., and has been master workman in that 
organization; an attendant of the Methodist church, and a Re- 
publican in politics. 

Stoughton, John Mott, born September 20, 1858, at Roch- 
ester, N. Y., son of Fisher Ames Stoughton and Eliza Hall, his 
wife. Was educated in the common schools, and his early life 
was passed in the paper industry, being employed in the mills 
at Fort Edward; is a member of Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. 
M., Fort Edward Chapter, R. A. M., Washington Commandery, 
No. 33, K. T., of Saratoga, and Oriental Temple, A. A. 0. N. 
M. S., of Troy. In 1900, when the International Paper Machine 
Tenders' Union consolidated with the International Brother- 
hood of Paper Makers, Mr. Stoughton was elected second vice- 
president of the Brotherhood, and the following year was elected 
first vice-president, which office he still holds. Mr. Stoughton 's 
father was a soldier of the Rebellion. ( See Theodore M. Stough- 
ton). 

Stoughton, Theodore M., born February 20, 1867, at Fort 
Edward, N. Y., son of Fisher Ames Stoughton, and Elizabeth 
Hall, his wife. Married April 11th, 1888, at Mechanic Falls, 
Maine, to Edith Harper, b. October 1st, 1871, at Crown Point, 
N. Y., daughter of Fred. Harper, and Angle Thompson, his 
wife. Four children— Frank F.. b. January 24, 1891 ; Ernest 
S., b. October 5, 1893; Clarence, b. April 8, 1895, and Mar- 
guerite D., b. August 15, 1897. AVas educated in the common 
schools of Fort Edward, where his early life was passed. At the 
age of 18, went to Ticonderoga, where he found employment 
as paper maker; subsequently removed to Maine, returning to 
this place in 1895. Is one of the board of education of the union 
free school of this village, and also one of the village trustees; 
is a member of the Blazing Star Lodge, F. & A. M., Rumford 
Falls, Me.; Fort Edward Chapter, R. A. M., and of the Inter- 



The Fort Edward Book. 265 

national Brotherhood of Paper Makers. In politics is independ- 
ent, and is at present employed by the International Paper Co., 
as foreman of the paper machine room. Mr. Stoughton was one 
of the founders of the International Paper Machine Tenders' 
union, established in 1896, which organization in 1900, was con- 
solidated with the International Brotherhood of Paper Makers. 
He was president of the former organization for two years, when 
his promotion in the mills where he was employed prevented his 
continuing longer as an officer of a labor organization. His 
father was a soldier in the Rebellion, having enlisted in 1861, in 
the Harris Light Cavalry and served about one year, when he 
was honorably discharged on account of sickness. After sev- 
eral months' rest he re-enlisted in the 16th New York Heavy 
Artillery and served until the close of the war. In 1864 he was 
promoted to first lieutenant. 

Stoughton, Timothy and Livy, brothers ; Timothy, born Feb- 
ruary 28, 1785, at Lenox, Mass., son of John Stoughton, and Ann 
Lewis, his wife. John was a lieutenant in the Revolution, having 
been commissioned by Governor Trumbell of Connecticut, and 
after the Revolution removed to Lenox, Mass, where he was 
appointed justice of the peace by Governor Hancock. Leiuten- 
ant John, died in Troy, N. Y., June 9, 1809, aged 72 years; his 
wife, Ann, died there March 26, 1836, aged 94 years. Timothy 
was the youngest of ten children born to John and Ann Stough- 
ton; Gustavus, Alice, Roxana, Livy, Ann, Louis, Anna, John, 
Lucy and Timothy; Timothy was justice of the peace in Troy, 
in 1806; two years later he went to Detroit, where he was en- 
gaged in the fur trade until 1811, when his brother, Livy, in- 
duced him to come to Fort Edward. Here they occupied a 
house and store owned by James Rogers, and now (1903) occu- 
pied as a residence by Abram Oppenheim. The store stood 
between the residences of Mr. Oppenheim and Mr. Contryman. 
Timothy Stoughton married Sophia Ingalls, of Wilton, N. H., 
October 21, 1822. Livy Stoughton married Chloe Ellis, she died 
July 20, 1814, and he married, second, Cynthia Clark, descend- 
ants of whom are still living in Troy and Lansingburg. In 
1820, Timothy became bookkeeper for Daniel Wing, who then 
kept a store where Wing's Exchange now stands. At one time 
he was a member of the firm of Wing, Bennett & Payne, engaged 
in the lumber business at Palmertown Mountain ; was postmaster 
here from May 2, 1849, to April 22, 1853. In 1811, when Mr. 



266 The Fort Edward Book. 

Stoughton came here, there was but one hotel, one store, one 
schoolhouse, and no church in the village. The population at 
that time was between two and three hundred souls ; he was for 
upwards of 40 years, clerk of the school district, and held the 
office of justice of the peace for many years ; was also supervisor, 
and town clerk. He died February 21, 1878, much respected and 
estemed by all who knew him. Numerous descendants now re- 
side in this vicinity. 

SuNDERLiN, John Coebin, born June 20, 1835, at Fort Ann, 
N. Y., son of Lewis B. Voree, and Jane Ann Corbin, his wife. 
Mr. Sunderlin having received the name by which he is now 
known, by adoption, his mother having died when he was but 
three months old. Married August 19, 1855, at Pittstown, N. 
Y., Harriet A. Penney, b. April 23, 1832, at Pittstown, N. Y., 
daughter of Edward Penney, and Amanda Townsend, his wife. 
Mrs. Sunderlin died June 14, 1899. Five children — Joseph L. 
B., b. November 15, 1857; Mary Jane, b. January 18, I860; Har- 
riet Amanda, b. January 28, 1862 ; Martha Ann, b. May 20, 1865, 
and John Edward, b. June 6, 1873. Mr. Sunderlin received a 
common school education, and his early life was passed on the 
farm, and in mechanical pursuits. He is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of 
the Grand Army of the Republic. In politics he has acted with 
the Prohibition party, and for many years last past, has been 
engaged in the photograph business. 

Tasker, Benjamin M., born December, 1838, in England, son 
of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett Tasker. Married December 27, 1860, at 
Troy, N. Y., to Mary Louise VanKuren, b. at Troy, N. Y., daugh- 
ter of Benjamin Van Kuren, and Euretta Myers, his wife. Three 
children, two surviving— William F., b. July 6, 1863, and Ed- 
ward v., b. November 12, 1869. Mr. Tasker received a common 
school education, and his early life was spent in Troy, where he 
was engaged in the manufacture of soda water. He has been 
three times elected trustee of the village of Fort Edward, and 
has served three times as chief of the fire department, in addi- 
tion to serving several times as assistant. Is a member of 
Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & A. M., Ancient Order of United 
Workmen, and of the Fort Edward Club, and an honorary mem- 
ber of Satterlee Hose Co. ; an attendant of the Episcopal church, 



The Fort Edward Book. 267 

of which he was for many years a vestryman ; a Democrat in pol- 
itics. He held the office of postmaster for two terms, under 
the administration of Grover Cleveland, and at present is en- 
gaged in the manufacture and sale of mineral water. 

Thebo, Philip Charles, was born September 22, 1835, in 
New York city, son of Joseph and Louise Thebo. Married in 
1862, in New York city, to Mary Henrietta Chitty, daughter of 
Charles and Mary Chitty, of Quebec, P. Q. Seven children, six 
surviving— George W., b. February 22, 1865; Philip C, Jr., b. 
March 28, 1869; William H., b. June 17, 1872; Fenwick M., b. 
May 28, 1875; Benjamin Franklin, b. January 28, 1877, and 
Anna May, b. June 22, 1887. Mr. Thebo 's early life was spent 
in New York city, where he was engaged in the fruit and 
oyster business, which business, in connection with groceries and 
provisions, he has followed in the village of Fort Edward for 
many years ; has at different times been elected as trustee of the 
village of Fort Edward ; is a member of the Fort Edward Club, 
Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & A. M., Ancient Order of United 
Workmen, an honorary member of the Satterlee and Durkee 
Hose companies; St. James' Episcopal church, and has served 
as one of its vestrymen; is a Democrat in politics. He was an 
officer of the Home Guard, a military company, organized in 
1864 ; and was treasurer of the board of water commissioners of 
the village of Fort Edward, at the time the municipal water 
works system was organized. 

Thebo, George Washington, born February 22, 1865, at Fort 
Edward, N. Y., son of Philip C. Thebo, and Mary H. Chitty, his 
wife. Married April 30, 1896, to Emma J. Rozell, b. May 12, 
1864, at Glens Falls, N. Y., daughter of William Rozell, and 
Susan Clute, his wife. Three children, two surviving— Walter 
P., b. March 3, 1897, and Florence L., b. November 11, 1898. Mr. 
Thebo received a common school education, and his early life 
was spent in his father's store, as a clerk. Is a member of the 
Fort Edward Lodge, No. 267, F. & A. M., Fort Edward Chapter, 
No. 171, R. A. M. ; Washington Commandery, K. T., No. 33, Sar- 
atoga; Oriental Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. Shrine of Troy; Fort 
Edward Club ; Satterlee Hose Co. ; Royal Arcanum, and Tri- 
County Fireman's Association, of which latter organization he 



268 The Fort Edward Book. 

is second vice-president. Is an attendant of the Episcopal church, 
independent views in politics, and at present is engaged in keep- 
ing a restaurant, at Fort Edward. 

Tripler, Dr. William Connell, born July 1st, 1860, at Phil- 
adelphia, Pa., the son of William Charles Tripler, and Elizabeth 
L. Child, his wife. Married August 23d, 1899, at New York 
city, Miss Clara B. LaMarche, b. at Fort Edward, daughter of 
John LaMarche and Flora South worth, his wife. Was educated 
in the public schools of Philadelphia, at the Lauterbach Acad- 
emy, and at the Towne Scientific School of the University of 
Pennsylvania, after wdiich he took a two years' course in the 
dental department, graduating 1884. His early life was spent 
in Philadelphia (Norristown), Pa., where he began practice of 
his profession in 1885 ; he remained there until 1893, when he 
located for a short time in Glens Falls, removing to Fort Ed- 
ward in 1894, where he has acquired a large and growing prac- 
tice ; is a member of Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & A. M. ; Fort 
Edward Chapter, 171, R. A. M. ; Washington Council, 261, Royal 
Arcanum, and of the Satterlee Hose company ; is a member of the 
Delta Phi fraternity, Eta Chapter, of the University of Penn- 
sylvania, and is a member of St. James' Episcopal church; a 
Republican in polities. The ancestor of Dr. Tripler, came from 
Germany with the Scientist, Pastorius, and settled in Pennsyl- 
vania prior to the Revolution. Dr. Tripler 's father served with 
distinction in the Civil war. 

Turner, George, born October 27th, 1825, at Warkton, North- 
amptonshire, Eng., the son of George Turner and Amy Panter, 
his wife. Married November 26th, 1851, at Schenectady, Eliza- 
beth M. Swart, b. February 26th, 1835, at Schenectady, daugh- 
ter of Simon Schermerhorn Swart and Elizabeth F. Glen, his 
wife, a descendant of the Glens of Glens Falls, and grand- 
daughter of Col. Henry Glen. Four children, two surviving — 
Major Reuben Turner, b. February 28th, 1857, now of the 8th 
U. S. Infantry. (Major Turner graduated at West Point in 
1881 ; he was with Gen. Shafter in Cuba, and fought at Santiago. 
Married in 1885, Miss Louise Lowe, of Salt Lake City) ; Georg- 
etta Turner, b. December 31st, 1858, married Fred Cornell of 
Sandy Hill, N. Y. The subject of this sketch in his early life 



The Fort Edward Book. 269 

learned the trade of a tailor. In 1850 he came to the United 
States and settled in Schenectady, where he remained until 
1855, when he came to Fort Edward; was treasurer of the vil- 
lage of Fort Edward in 1887; police justice of the village for 
one term, and was first police justice of the town ; for the past 
ten years has been justice of the peace, having been continuously 
in the last mentioned office since 1892. He is a member of the 
Fort Edward Lodge, 267, F. & A. M., also Fort Edward Chapter, 
171, R. A. M., in which societies he has held almost every office, 
having been master for three terms, and is now treasurer of 
the same. A Republican in politics, having been naturalized in 
1860, he has voted for every Republican president that has occu- 
pied the White-House. 



Wade, Thomas R., born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, England, son 
of John Wade, and Mary Ann Jewsbury. Married at Argyle, N. 
Y., to Louisa M. Harsha, b. at Argyle, daughter of James C. 
Harsha, and Mary M. Savage, his wife. Two children— Lillian 
J., and Susan E. Mr. Wade was educated in the national 
schools of England, and came to this country in 1865. He has 
been one of the wardens and is now one of the vestrymen, as 
he has been for many years, of St. James' Episcopal church; 
has also been elected a trustee of the village, and of the union 
free school district. Is a member of Fort Edward Lodge, F. & 
A. M., Ancient Order of United Workmen, and of the Fort Ed- 
ward Club. Republican in politics, and is now engaged in the 
mercantile pursuit. For a number of years he was employed in 
Albany, and was also engaged in trade at Argyle, under the firm 
name of Cook & Wade, previous to coming to Fort Edward. 

Wait, A. Dallas, born September 1st, 1822, at Sandy Hill, 
N. Y., son of Luther Wait. He was admitted to the Bar in 
1845, and practiced in Sandy Hill until the fall of 1848, since 
which time he has practiced his profession in Fort Edward. 
Married December 11, 1855, to Celina Darrow, daughter of 
Hiram Darrow, of Cambridge. She died June 20, 1902. Eight 
children, of whom three survive— Celina, m. Richard A. Lowe, 
of England; Walter William, of Glens Falls, m. Maud Under- 
wood, and Bertha E. Wait. Judge Wait was elected county 



270 The Fort Edward Book. 

judge of Washington Co., in 1855, and was subsequently twice 
re-elected to the same office ; also held the office of district attor- 
ney of Washington county for two years. For many years he has 
been a member and president of the board of education of this 
village, and is one of the directors of the First National bank of 
Fort Edward. 

Wicks, Hon. Frederick D., of Scotland, county judge of 
Bon Homme county, South Dakota, born July 31st, 1866, at Fort 
Edward, N. Y., son of Walter W. Wicks, and Ellen Kennedy, 
his wife. Married November 12th, 1895, at Springfield, South 
Dakota, Mary L. Wood, b. February 24th, 1874, at Springfield, 
Dakota territory, daughter of Lester Wood and Emma Barron, 
his wife. Three children— Emma R., b. September 4th, 1897; 
Walter W., b. August 22d, 1899 ; Ellen M., b. June 18th, 1901. 
Judge Wicks was educated in the public schools of Port Edward, 
and at Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, and his early life was 
passed here. After completing his course at the Institute he 
began the study of law in the office of Robert 0. Bascom, at this 
place. In August, 1890, went to South Dakota on account of 
his health, and was admitted to the bar in that state in December, 
1890 ; was elected county judge of Bon Homme county in 1892, 
and is now serving his fourth term in that office. Belongs to 
Scotland Lodge, F. & A. M., Scotland Chapter, R. A. M., of Scot- 
land, the Oriental consistory of Yankton, S. D., and El Riad 
Temple of Shriners at Sioux Falls ; is a member of the Episcopal 
church; a Republican in politics, and is now in the enjoyment 
of a lucrative practice in his profession. 

Wicks, Walter James, born October 5, 1858, in New York 
city, son of Walter W. AVicks, and Ellen Kennedy, his wife. 
Married April 20, 1887, at Parker, South Dakota, Emeline S. 
Clisby, b. September 2, 1859, at Macomb, Illinois, daughter of 
Lorenzo Clisby, and Sarah E. Sparrell, his wife. Five children 
—Lorenzo Clisby, b. February 4, 1888; Ellen May, b. May 1, 
1891 ; George Cornell, b. May 2, 1895, Albert Henry, and War- 
ner Clisby, twins, b. April 23, 1898. Mr. Wicks was educated in 
the public schools of Fort Edward, N. Y., and at St. Stephen's 
College, where he received the degree of B, A. After his grad- 



The Fort Edward Book. 271 

uation, attended the General Theological Seminary in New York 
city, and Faribault Divinity School, Minnesota, where he re- 
ceived the degree of B. D. Is a member of the Protestant Epis- 
copal church; a Republican in politics, a clergyman by profes- 
sion, and is now superintendent of the United States Indian 
school, at Springfield, South Dakota. 

WiGG, Charles Byron, born May 15, 1851, at Moreau, Sara- 
toga county, N. Y., son of Peter Wigg, and Mary J. Thompson, 
his wife. Married July 1st, 1869, at Moreau, to S. Miranda 
Luther, b. June 13, 1850, at Hubbardtown, Vt., daughter of 
Nathan B. Luther, and Laura D. Hawkes, his wife. Four chil- 
dren— Erminie M., b. April 20, 1870; Dalberg E., b. January 
14, 1873; Lela E., b. February 14, 1878; and Lyle I. E., b. Octo- 
ber 19, 1880. Mr. Wigg received a common school education, 
and in early life was apprenticed to learn the carpenter 's trade ; 
was street commissioner in the village of Fort Edward for a 
number of years; is a member of St. James' Episcopal church; 
a Republic in politics, and at present in engaged in the pursuit 
of his trade. 

Williams, Valentine, born January 21, 1846, in the state 
of Indiana, son of Jesse Williams, and Phoebe Wickersham, his 
wife. He was educated in the common schools of Pennsylvania, 
and his early life was passed on a farm; came to Fort Edward 
in 1888, and was employed at that time in the furniture factory, 
and afterwards went into the insurance business; elected jus- 
tice of the peace in 1899, which office he still holds ; is a member 
of the Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. M., and Fort Edward Chap- 
ter, R. A. M. ; a Republican in politics, and a veteran of the war 
of the Rebellion. 

Wing, Asahel R., born November 30, 1850, at Sandy Hill, 
N. Y., son of Asahel Wing, and Juliette Haskin, his wife. Mar- 
ried in 1882, at Fort Ann, N. Y., to Flora B. Clements, who was 
born in 1853, at Fort Ann, N. Y., daughter of Isaac Clements, 
and Hannah Copeland, his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Wing have four 
daughters: Catherine M., Nellie, Dorothy, and Gladys. Mr. 



272 The Fort Edward Book 

Wing- is cashier of the First National bank, at Fort Edward, 
and has been engaged in the banking business for many years. 

Winn, Horace Judson, born at Middletown, Vt., son of John 
Winn and Mary E. Lewis, his wife. Married February 18, 1890, 
at Fort Edward, N. Y., to Mary A. Curran, b. 1864, at Crown 
Point, N. Y., daughter of Michael Curran and Elizabeth Letson, 
his wife. Was educated in the common schools at Middletown, 
Vt., and afterwards attended the Fort Edward Collegiate In- 
stitute. His early life was passed at Middletown, the family 
moving to Fort Edward in 1854; was for many years book- 
keeper for the firm of Tefft, Hinckley & Co., who were exten- 
sive lumber dealers in the days when the lumber industry was 
the principal one at Fort Edward. Held the office of town col- 
lector for two years, in 1894 and 1895, and was elected justice 
of the peace in 1897, which office he held for the term of four 
years ; is a member of Fort Edward Lodge, F. & A. M., also of 
Fort Edward Chapter, R. A. M. ; for sixteen years he held the 
office of secretary of the Fort Edward Lodge, discharging its 
responsible duties in a highly satisfactory manner; is an attend- 
ant at the Baptist church ; a Republican in polities, and for a 
number of years last past has been employed by the International 
Paper Mill Company at Fort Edward. Mr. Winn's brother, 
Don D. Winn, graduated at the Fort Edward Institute in 1875 ; 
was a lawyer by profession, and died August 7, 1886. 



INDEX-Part I. 



The principal subjects only have been indexed. Titles of Part II 
are arranged in alphabetical order and are not here included. 



Ancient Order of Hibernians 218 

Ancient Order of United Workman.. .215 
Argyle and Fort Edward Plank 

Road Co 165 

Argyle Jurors 104 

Argyle Lot Owners 35 

Argyle Patent 35 

Argyle Supervisors 149 

Argyle Trustees 37 

Assessment and Taxation 133 

Babcock, Phineaa 145 

Baptist Church 190 

" " Deacons 195 

" • " First Trustees 192 

" " Original Memljers 191 

" " Pastors 192-195 

Beatty , James 140 

Bostwick, Rev. Samuel B 18I 

Bridge street 163 

Buck, Col. John 145 

Caldwell, Joseph I45 

Campbell, Duncan, Legend of 80 

Campbell, Duncan, Epitaph 86 

Church street 167 

Clark, Ralph 124 

Cochran, Col. Robert 211 

Cooke, Asaph 148 

Conkey, Joshua 146 

Curtis, Daniel I45 

Deadman's Point IO5 

Dellius Patent 31 

Duer, Co'. William 129 

Eddy Street I67 

Emancipation papers 161 

Fitch, Dr. Asa 61 

Fort Edward Assessors 152 

" " Center, Postmasters 158 

" " Club 218 

" " Commissoners Common 
Schools 154 



Fort Edward Commissioners Highw's. 156 
■' " Excise Commissioners. .156 

" " Fire Department 220 

" " Inspectors of Common 

Schools 153 

Fort Edward Justices of the Peace. . . 151 

" " Postmasters 157 

" Relics 91 

" " Ruins 90 

" " Sealers of Weights and 

Measures 154 

Fort Edward Supervisors 149 

" " Sup'ts Common Schools. 154 

" " Town Clerks 150 

" " Town Collectors 155 

Fort Lydius 28 

Fort Miller, early settlers of 115 

" '' Plank Road Company. ..165 

" " Postmasters 158 

Freel, Peter 50 

Galupha, Thomas 122 

Gilchrist Family 88 

Hamlin, Benjamin 121 

Harper, WjHiam 121 

Hayward, Ensign, Diary of 89 

Hose Company, Leonard Bibbey 226 

" " John R. Durkee 223 

" " George Satterlee 220 

Hubbell, Johnathan S., accounts 112 

" " " customers 113 

" Silas S., biography m 

" " " reminiscences 109 

Hunter, Polly 48-49 

Introduction 5 

Johnson's Expedition 21 

Jones, David 76 

Jones Family 74 

Jones, Solomon 76 

Knights of Columbus 215 

Lirermore, Josiah 124 



274 



Index. 



PAGE 

Lydins, Col. John Henry 33 

Masonry 197 

" Masters of Lodge 201 

Martin, Moses 141 

McArthur, Duncan 140 

McCollister, Hamilton 146 

McCrea, Jane, death of 53 

family 56 

Jane, grave of 45 

locality of tragedy 44 

Jane, who killed? 61 

John 56 

Rev. James 56 

Street 166 

McDonald, Judge 77 

McNeil, Sarah 49 

Mechanic Street 166 

Methodist Episcopal Church 182 

M. E. Church, Pastors 184 

" " Presiding Elders 184 

" " Stewards 186 

" Trustees 196 

Moses Kill Postmasters 159 

Odd Fellows 213 

Ogden, Mathias 103 

" " marriages by 106 

" " epitaph 108 

Payne, Noah 123 

Daniel 123 

Presbyterian Church 186 

" " original memb'rs.l86 



PAGE 

Royal Arcanum 216 

Savage, Edward 141 

Schuyler's Expedition 15 

Seelye, Nehimiah 140 

Sherwood, Col. Adiel 204 

'• Seth 141-205 

Spooner, Rev. John Alden 181 

Standish, Samuel 50 

State Street 166 

St. James Episcopal Church 168 

" " " " Building.. .170 

" " " '• Incorp'r'u.l69 

" " " " Wardens.. 179 

" " " " Vestr'menl79 

St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 188 

" " " " Priests.. 189 

" " " " Trustees. 189 

Taxpayers 135 

Tearse, Peter B 140 

Town Meetings 159 

VanDenburg, Wynant 125 

VanVechten, Lieutenant 51 

Tiele Family : 127 

Warren, Mary Rogers, memor'l tabrt.175 
" Wm. Henry, " " 175 

Webster, Alexander 144 

Williams, Col. John 143 

Winthrop's Expedition 12 

Wing, Daniel W., memorial tablet... 172 
Wing, Almira, " •• ....172 



THE END. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 220 883 



